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BOTTLE HILL AND MADISON 



tAe^H e'w -^IS R §"£ Y J O U R N A L. 



[Vol. I.] 



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^ R O C L A H A T I O V. 

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(S-ir nfop»-f.*:rt'r«imlr i-*-»d</irti<». f'/n,iio- 




BOTTLE HILL AND MADISON 



GLIMPSES AND REMINISCENSES 

FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO 

THE CIVIL WAR 




BY 

WILLIAM PARKHLRST TUTTLE 

1916 



SET UP AND PRINTED FROM TYPE BY THE 

MADISON EAGLE PRESS 

MADISON. NEW JERSEY 

1917 



BEC 20 1917 



©CtA481444 



^ 



This first edition is limited to 
five hundred copies, printed 
from type, of which this copy is 



No 



.^f^.^ 




c^ <^cPL^/^t^ 



This Book is affectionately dedicated by 
the author to his honored father, the 

Rev. Samuel Lawrence Tuttle 

to whom he is indebted for its inspiration 
as well as for much of its information. 



PREFACE 

Nearly all the facts of local history contained 
in this book are from notes of personal conversations 
with eye witnesses of the events narrated. The facts 
were obtained about the year 1855 by the Rev. 
Samuel Lawrence Tuttle, at that time pastor of the 
Presbyterian Church of Madison, N. J. With the 
earnest patriotism which always distinguished him, 
he sought out many aged people in the neighborhood, 
and obtained their recollections of the times and 
events of the Revolution. To embody and preserve 
these statements has been the main object of this 
work. 

The author desires to acknowledge his indebted- 
ness to his daughter, Gertrude Amelia Tuttle, for 
her indefatigable assistance in arranging its con- 
tents, and particularly in the preparation of its 
illustrations and embellishments, and the two pencil 
sketches of Wayne Headquarters and Brittin Store 
drawn in her childhood. 

William Parkhurst Tuttle. 

Madison, New Jersey, 
October, 1916. 



Owing to the sudden death of my father, 
William Parkhurst Tuttle, which occurred on 
November 29, 1916, it has become my duty and privi- 
lege to publish this history of Bottle Hill and Madi- 
son. 

For several years I had the pleasure of 
working with my father in preparing this book, 
and it was his oft-expressed wish that I should at- 
tend to its final arrangements and publication in 
case he should not live to complete it. 

I am indebted to my father's warm friend, 
William 0. Stoddard, Jr., and to my brother, 
William P. Tuttle, Jr., for many valuable sugges- 
tions regarding the publication of this volume. 



Gertrude Amelia Tuttle. 



Madison, New Jersey, 
August, 1917. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The Mokaix ^ 

Okigixat. Settlers of this Regiox 3 

FrOAI PlUXCETOX TO LoAXTAKA VaLLEY 9 

LoAXTAKA Valley 1'^ 

LOCATIOX OF THE CaMP 1^' 

The Camp Gkolxd 20 

Major Erskixe's Army Map 26 

Bottle Hill 27 

The Old Meetixg House 33 

Stoves ix Church "^6 

A Differexce ox Psalmody -49 

Rev. Azariah Horton 51 

The Old Parsoxage 55 

Gexeral Wayxe's Headquarters 60 

The Old Miller House 67 

The Joseph Bruex House 72 

The New Jersey Journal 75 

The Road to Yorktown 80 

The "Old Sow" 90 

Old School House at Uxiox Hili 101 

Revolutioxary Caxxox at Washixgtox's Headquarters 105 

Kemble Mot'xtaix 106 

O LD Ha XOV E R PaRSOX AG e_ ^ 111* 

The Old Ward House, Chatham, N. J 123 

The Talmadc!E House, Chatham, N. J 124 

The WixDEYER House 129 



PAGE 

The Flavel Woodruff House 130 

The Johnson House 135 

Bottle Hilt> Between 1801 and ISO-t 136 

The Turnpike Road, Now Main Street 142 

Lafayette's Visit to Bottle Hill 154 

The Story of the Boisai'bin Mansion 158 

The Madison Academy 165 

The First Sahbath School in Bottle Hill 169 

Early Post Offices 174 

The New Church of 1825 176 

The Gibbons Mansion 185 

Bottle Hill Changed to Madison 190 

A Hero of the Bridge of Lodi 194 

The Origin of the Railroad Throt^gh Madison 196 

St. Vincent's Church 207 

Old School Boys of Bottle Hilt 208 

Madison Iron Works 213 

Private Schools in Madison 216 

The Methodist Episcopal Church 223 

The Lecture Room 224 

Madison in 1854 226 

Grace Church 234 

Origin of A. M. E. Church 237 

The Parsonage 238 

The Samuel, L. Tuttle Tree 247 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

The New Jersey Jourkai Frontispiece^ 

Portrait of Rev. Samuel L. Tuttee 

Captain Leslie's Monument 12 

The Mill Dam, Silver Lake 13 

Location of the Camp 1" 

Home of Dr. Kitchell 23 

The Army Map, 1777 26 

Location of Revolutionary Roads 29 

The Old Meeting House 32 

Site of the Old Meeting House B9 

Ground Plan of the Old Meeting House 43 

One of the Foot Stoves ^"^ 

Tomb of Rev. Azariah Horton 53 

The Old Parsonage 56 

Sketch of the Old Parsonage 57 

Headquarters of Gen. Anthony Wayne 61 

House of Ephraim Sayre "'^ 

Major Luke Miller 67 

The Old Miller House 69 

Tomb of Major Luke Miller 71 

The Joseph Bruen House ^^ 

House of Ichabod Bruen ^1 

Homestead of William Carter ^^5 

Ancient House on Woodland Road 87 

The "Old Sow" Boulder 91 

"Crown Prince" Cannon ^^^ 



PAGE 

"Old Nat" Caxxox 9r^ 

Camp Homestead, Newark, N. J 99 

Portraits of Capt. and Mrs. Nathaniel Camp 1().*3 

Washington's Headquarters, Morristowx, N. J 107 

The Old Wick Hotse 111 

The Old Hanover Parsonage 115 

Revolutionary House, Chatham, N. J 119 

The Old Ward House, Chatham, N. J 121 

The Talmadge Homestead, Chatham, N. J 125 

The Windeyer House 127 

The Flavel Woodruff House 131 

Samson House and Samson R. R. Crossing 1.*?.*3 

The Johnson House 135 

Residence of Joseph Miller 137 

Portrait of Rev. Matthew La Rue Perrixe, D. D 139 

Old Store, the Property of William axd Abraham 

Brittin 1-1'3 

Homestead ok Col. William Brittin After It Was 

Remodeled 1^5 

Homestead of Col. William Brittin As It Looked 

Originally 1-1'7 

Home of Ellis Cook 1-tS 

Ancient House Belonging to the Genung Family 14-9 

Home of Ashhkl Bruen 151 

Old Tavern Where Lafayette Was Entertained 155 

The Boisaubin Mansion 159 

The Beau p lan d Mansion 102 

The Old Academy 103 



PAGE 

Tablet of "Thk Madison Academy" 167 

Hesidence of George E. Sayre 171 

Site of the First Post Office in Bottle Hill 174 

New Presbyterian Church 177 

Homestead of Matthias Ward, Chatham, N. J 179 

I>EWis Thompson Homestead 183 

The Gibbons Mansion 187 

Home of Dr. John Albright 191 

Hesidence of Benjamin Birdsall 193 

Photograph of Old Engine "Orange" 197 

■Old Time Table 200 

Old Commutation Ticket 203 

St. Vincent's Catholic Church 205 

Madison in 1838 209 

Hesidence of David Halsey Roberts 211 

Old Indenture of Charles C. Force 21-t 

Hesidence of Frank Lathrop 217 

Home of William Muchmore and Chas. Muchmore 221 

The Lecture Room 224 

Residence and Store of Charles M. Bruen 227 

Hesidence and Store of E. P. Burroughs 229 

Hesidence of Frederick A. Seaman 231 

Grace Episcopal Church 235 

Presbyterian Parsonage 239 

Portrait and Signature of William P. Tuttle 241 

Cottage of Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle 243 

The Tree in Prospect Street 245 



COPYRIGHT, Wn, BY 
GERTRUDE A. TUTTLE 



DEC 20 1917 



BOTTLE HILL AND MADISON 

CHAPTER I 

THE MORAIN 

Across the State of New Jersey, there extends a 
huge, irregular ridge of rocks and debris, which were 
deposited at the edge of the ice-pack during the glacial 
period, and which therefore marked the limit or line 
of termination reached by the glacier. 

This ridge, which is known to geologists as a 
morain, is clearly defined and easily discernible 
throughout the greater part of its length. There are 
only a few breaks in its continuity, due to subsequent 
geological changes, and with these exceptions it forms 
a marked feature of the counties traversed by it. 

Between the towns of Madison and Morristown, 
the tracks of the Delaware, Lackawanna and West- 
ern Railroad climb the northeast side of the morain 
until within a short distance of Convent Station, 
where they cross it and descend on the other side into 
Morristown. 

The morain is bordered on its exterior, or south- 
west side, by an elevated plain, composed mainly of 
sand or gravel, which slopes gently away for the space 
of half a mile or more, and then falls off abruptly in 
a steep descent. This border of gravel is supposed 
to be a subaqueous deposit on the shores of Lake Pas- 
saic which existed in a later geological age, and is 
full of indentations or hollows, which are probably 
the result of immense ice formations. These vary in 



2 Bottle Hill and Madison 

depth and size from a mere saucer-like depression to 
a pit of fifty or sixty feet in depth covering acres of 
extent. The features here referred to are very 
marked in the region between Madison and Morris- 
tov^n. The 'Tunch Bowl" on the grounds of the 
Morris County Golf Club, and the still larger hollow 
to the northeast, on the Convent grounds, are notable 
instances of these depressions. 

A clear understanding of the nature of this 
region and its glacial origin, is quite helpful as we 
proceed to the descriptions and narrations which fol- 
low. 



CHAPTER II 

ORIGINAL SETTLERS OF THIS REGION 

The section of country in which Bottle Hill, now 
Madison, is situated, was first settled not far from 
the year 1685, about twenty years after the settle- 
ment of Elizabethtown and Newark. The first 
settlers were principally from the places just named, 
though some of them are known to have come here 
from the New England States, Long Island, and 
England. Attracted by the fine, open character of 
the country, but more especially by the iron ore im- 
bedded in our hills, a few enterprising men brought 
their families over what was then called 'The Great 
Mountain of Watchung," afterwards the "Newark 
Mountain," and located at different points in the 
vicinity. Large tracts of land were purchased by 
many of them of the old New Jersey Proprietors and 
the Indians. On the 13th of August, 1708, a tract 
of land consisting of several thousand acres, of 
which, what is now Morristown was about the 
center, was deeded by the Indians to the Whites. 
This deed, executed on vellum and well preserved, 
is now in the possession of the New Jersey Historical 
Society of Newark. The signatures of the Indians 
with their respective and varied marks, and the sig- 
natures of the Whites, are very plain. Among the 
Whites, whose signatures can be plainly read, are 
William Brant, Samuel Whitehead and Benjamin 
Wade. While some of these first settlers devoted 
themselves to the clearing and cultivation of the soil, 
others engaged in the manufacture of iron. 



4 Bottle Hill and Madison 

At a very early period a great deal of capital 
and skill were employed in the business of making 
iron ; and for this purpose a considerable number of 
forges were constructed and put into operation with- 
in the limits of Morris County. The first forge 
erected in this region was situated a little above the 
bridge near the present Presbyterian Church in 
Whippany. Rev. Jacob Green of Hanover speaks of 
this establishment and gives it the name of ''The 
Old Iron Works." Other forges were located a little 
west of Littleton, also in Malapardis, Troy and 
Hibernia. There was also a forge at Chatham bridge 
where the ''Old Mill" is now located, and still another 
near Green Village a little way below the present 
Silver Lake. 

The ore that was used in these forges was car- 
ried in stout leather bags on the backs of horses from 
the mines in the vicinity of Rockaway and Succa- 
sunna Plains. After it was manufactured into iron, 
the bars were bent up into as small bunches or packs 
as possible and carried in the same way over the 
mountain to Elizabethtown and Newark, from 
which places it was forwarded in boats to New York. 
The manufacture of iron here, although attended 
with these great disadvantages, doubtless contrib- 
uted largely toward the original settlement of this 
region. 

The principal center of these settlements at that 
time, and for several years subsequently, was on 
what was then called the Whipponong River, where 
the village of Whippany now stands. This river 
was so called from a tribe of Indians that lived and 



Original Settlers of this Region 5 

ranged on its banks, and from the additional circum- 
stance that in the early history of the country those 
banks were thickly overhung with willows — the word 
"whipponong" denoting ''arrow" or "willow." For 
several years Whippany was the principal trading 
center of this part of the County of Hunterdon, 
which at that time embraced all the territory within 
the present county of that name, as well as that which 
is now in the counties of Morris, Sussex and Warren. 

In the year 1700, or thereabouts, a township 
called the 'Township of Whipponong" was created, 
which at first comprised all the region now included 
in the townships of Morris, Chatham and Hanover; 
and which in 1740 assumed the name of the "Town- 
ship of Hanover.' In the year 1738 the present 
County of Morris was set off from Hunterdon. 

The only church then existing in this region was 
the Presbyterian Church of Whipponong, which was 
known, when the name of Hanover was adopted by 
the Township, as the "Presbyterian Church of East 
Hanover." 

This old church stood in the village of Whip- 
pany, on ground which for a century or more was 
used as a burial place, and the deed for it was dated 
September 2, 1718. It is as follows: 

"I, John Richards of Whipponong, in the County 
of Hunterdon, Schoolmaster, for, and in consider- 
ation, of the love and affection that I have for my 
Christian friends and neighbors in Whipponong, 
and for a desire to promote and advance the public 
interest, and especially for those who shall coven- 
ant and agree to erect a suitable meeting-house for 



6 Bottle Hill and Madison 

the public worship of God, 3^ acres of land, situate 
and being in the township of Whipponong, on that 
part called Percipponong, on the north-westward 
side of Whipponong River; only for public use, im- 
provement and benefit, for a meeting-house, school- 
house, burying yard and training field, and such 
like uses, and no other." 

The first pastor of the Church in Whippany 
was the Rev. Nathaniel Hubbel who was ordained 
and installed by the Presbytery of Philadelphia, 
and who remained there for a period of about thir- 
teen years. At the same time that he preached in 
this church, he was also in the Presbyterian Church 
in Westfield, probably preaching on alternate Sab- 
baths in these two places. 

In the "Memoirs of Col. Aaron Burr," the Apos- 
tate Statesman, it is stated that his father, the Rev. 
Aaron Burr, subsequently pastor of the First Pres- 
byterian Church in Newark and President of the 
College of New Jersey, ''labored as a minister for 
a short time in Hanover." 

In 1755 this church was discontinued, the new 
church on Hanover Neck succeeding it under the 
name of the church of Hanover, as it is yet called, 
and the other churches originating from it being 
Parcippanong 1755, now Parsippany; West Han- 
over 1740, now Morristown; and South Hanover 
1747, at Bottle Hill, now Madison. 

The first minister who preached in the Presby- 
terian Church of Morristown was the Rev. Mr. 
Cleverly. He did not continue there long, however, 
but was soon succeeded by the Rev. Timothy Johnes 



Original Settlers of this Region 7 

who served as the pastor of that church for nearly 
fifty years. He began his work on August 13, 1742, 
and was formally installed February 9, 1743. 

It must be borne in mind that the church of 
Whipponong, above referred to, was not the present 
Presbyterian Church of Whippany, as the latter 
was organized as late as 1830. 

At that time this region was almost an uninter- 
rupted wilderness. Indian Tribes were ranging 
over the hills and valleys, and beasts of prey were 
roaming without molestation through nearly un- 
broken forests. There were but few farms cleared 
and cultivated ; there were but few dwellings erected, 
and they were of the plainest character; the popu- 
lation was very sparsely distributed over the terri- 
tory, and there were but few conveniences and privi- 
leges enjoyed. 

Morristown had not begun to be considered even 
a village, being composed of a few scattered farm 
houses. Having been settled only about ten years 
before this time, it was not until sixty years after- 
wards, that is, during the time of the Revolutionary 
War, that it contained a population of nesLvly three 
hundred. 

Newark, which had been settled about forty 
years by people from Connecticut, at that time con- 
tained a population of less than three hundred and 
fifty; and Blizabethtown, which was the center of 
trade for this part of New Jersey, was compara- 
tively an insignificant village. 

In Baskingridge, some Scotch Presbyterian 
families, who had settled there, were worshipping 



8 Bottle Hill and Madison 

in a log meeting house, which they had erected a 
few years before. 

In the village of Springfield, there were but 
three dwelling houses standing; and the residents 
were considered as belonging to the congregation in 
Elizabethtown, whither it is said, they were ac- 
customed to walk on the Sabbath in order to attend 
Divine Worship. 

Bloomfield, Orange and Belleville were small 
outskirt neighborhoods belonging to the First Pres- 
byterian Church of Newark, while the villages of 
Hanover Neck, Parsippany, New Vernon, Mend- 
ham, Boonton and Chatham were not yet in exist- 
ence. 

The region thus settled was reached by rough 
roads over mountain passes susceptible of easy de- 
fence against a military attack, and was inhabited 
by a people of Puritan spirit, indomitable will, and 
determined opposition to Kings and their preroga- 
tives. 

Moreover, it was the region of inexhaustible 
supplies of iron, that indispensible material for a 
time of war. It is thus easy to see how Morris 
County, some fifty years later in the time of the 
Revolution, came to be called ''Old Ironsides," and 
to be a stronghold earnestly sought as a refuge, and 
defended as a possession. It was indeed a fastness 
surrounded by impregnable defences from which 
blows could be struck in various directions, and in 
which a small and inferior force could hold their 
own against immensely superior numbers. 



CHAPTER III 

FROM PRINCETON TO LOANTAKA 
VALLEY 

The Battle of Princeton was fought at day- 
break on Friday, January 3, 1777. Three British 
regiments, the seventeenth, fortieth and fifty-fifth, 
with three troops of dragoons, forming together a 
brigade under Lieut. Col. Mawhood, had been quart- 
ered through the night at Princeton. They were 
just beginning their march to Trenton to re-inforce 
Cornwallis when they were attacked by the Ameri- 
can Army under Washington, consisting of five 
thousand troops, more than half of whom were un- 
disciplined militia. The sharp and decisive conflict 
which ensued resulted in the defeat of the enemy, 
and the flight of their broken and disorganized col- 
umns. The main body fled northward toward New 
Brunswick, closely pursued by the victorious Ameri- 
cans. 

Lord Cornwallis, with at least five thousand 
British regulars, was at Trenton, where he had ex- 
pected to fight a decisive battle that morning. He 
awoke to hear the cannonade at Princeton, which 
announced the rapid and successful movement of the 
American forces, and was not only deeply mortified 
at being so completely out-maneuvred, but was 
exceedingly anxious for the safety of his valuable 
stores at New Brunswick. He therefore made a 
forced march to overtake the Americans. The latter 
halted at the village of Kingston, three miles north 



10 Bottle Hill and Madison 

of Princeton, where a council of war was held, the 
officers, for the purpose, gathering on horseback 
around their Chief. 

The American Army was not in condition for 
the rapid work now necessary if the campaign were 
to be successfully prosecuted. The men were ill sup- 
plied with clothing, their shoes were nearly gone, 
some had been without sleep for two nights, and all 
without rest for the entire day and night preceding. 
It was prudent, therefore, to discover and occupy 
some stronghold, where the army could not be readily 
assailed and yet from whence, if circumstances 
should demand, vigorous blows could be dealt to the 
foe in several directions. The Morris County hills 
and forests afforded such a stronghold. In addition, 
the powder mills and iron works in the vicinity of 
Morristown, urgently called for protection, in view 
of their importance to the patriotic cause, in supply- 
ing the fighting material for the army. A popula- 
tion intensely loyal to the cause of independence also 
occupied the region, and increased the strength of 
the position. 

The decision, therefore, was quickly made ; and 
burning the bridge at Kingston, the patriotic army 
turned to the left over Rocky Hill, across the Mill- 
stone River, again burning the bridge in its rear, 
and advanced on the road toward Morristown. 
Cornwallis, arriving at Kingston, took considerable 
time to repair the bridge, and then hurried on to 
New Brunswick, only to find that he had taken the 
wrong road, and had, again, been out-generaled. 



From Princeton to Loantaka Valley 11 

All that winter day the march of the Ameri- 
cans was continued. With weary, and sometimes 
bloody feet, the troops slowly tramped over the icy 
road. A young soldier, William Lyon, was observed 
by the Command-in-Chief to be without stockings, 
with shoes in fragments and feet torn and bleeding. 
Touching him gently, the General spoke a word of 
sympathy and appreciation, when the brave fellow 
replied, 'There is no danger of freezing my feet 
while they bleed." Though suffering greatly from 
fatigue and exposure, the troops were nevertheless 
in high spirits, for they had experienced the mar- 
velous exhilaration of victory. At dusk the army 
reached Somerset Court House, and encamped for 
the night, while provisions, gathered from the en- 
tire region by foraging parties, were hurried to 
them. The men gathered around their camp fires, 
and having been warmed and fed, were glad to throw 
themselves upon the ground for sleep. 

The next morning, Saturday, the army resumed 
its march, and toward evening arrived at the village 
of Pluckamin, where it again halted for the night. 
It was a memorable Sunday that dawned upon the 
little hamlet. The farmers from many miles around 
drove in to see the heroes of Trenton and Princeton, 
and to hear from them the stories of their victories. 
The day was also marked by the military burial of 
the British Captain Leslie, son of the Earl of Leven. 
Dr. Benjamin Rush, the noted Philadelphia surgeon 
who was on Washington's staff, had discovered the 
name and identity of the wounded officer while still 
upon the battlefield. He had obtained permission 



12 



Bottle Hill and Madison 



from the Chief to give him his personal care, with 
directions to spare no pains for his comfort and 
recovery. This was because of the recollection of 
many favors he had himself received, while in Scot- 
land, as a guest of the Earl and Countess of Leven. 
In spite of the surgeon's skill, Captain Leslie 
died just as Pluckamin was reached. Orders were 




CAPT. LESLIE'S MONUMENT, PLUCKAMIN, N. J. 



issued that he be buried with the honors of war, and 
at noon on Sunday a military escort accompanied 
the body to the Lutheran church yard, with arms 
reversed and drums beating a dirge, and at the close 
of the burial service fired a volley over the grave. 



From Princeton to Loantaka Valley 13 

Dr. Rush erected a stone and placed upon it the 
following inscription: ''In memory of the Hon. 
Capt. Wm. Leslie, of the 17th British Regiment, son 
of the Earl of Leven in Scotland. He fell Jan. 3, 
1777, aged 26 years, at the Battle of Princeton. 




THE MILL DAM, SILVER LAKE, 
On the route of Washington's Army. 



His friend, Benj. Rush, M. D., of Philadelphia hath 
caused this stone to be erected as a mark of his 
esteem for his worth, and of his respect for his noble 
family." This stone lasted nearly sixty years, when 
in 1835, the then Earl of Leven replaced it with the 
present monument, bearing the same inscription. 



14 Bottle Hill and Madison 

Monday morning, January 6th, saw the army 
again upon the march, and, moving at an easy gait 
through Lesser Cross Roads, Baskingridge and New 
Vernon, the column passed the mill at Silver Lake 
and turned into the road now called Loantaka Ter- 
race. Then turning the corner sharply to the right, 
the troops descended into the valley, and encamped 
upon the banks of the Loantaka. 



CHAPTER IV 

LOANTAKA VALLEY 

The Loantaka Valley is situated about a mile 
and a half southeast of the city of Morristown, N. J., 
and borders closely upon the western side of the Bor- 
ough of Madison. It takes its name from Loantaka 
Brook, a stream which has its sources in the numer- 
ous springs of the valley, and flows southward for 
several miles through the ''Great Swamp" until it 
joins the Passaic River. 

The valley itself is possibly three miles or more 
in length, widening toward the south, and varying 
from a half mile to a mile in width. Its northeast 
side is composed of bluffs, fifty or sixty feet high, 
which are really the subaqueous deposit extending 
along the outer edge of the great glacial terminal 
morain, which is about a half mile further northeast. 
The surface of this gravelly formation extends to 
the top of the bluffs in a gently rising plateau until 
it reaches the morain. The other, or southwesterly, 
side of the valley is composed of a range of hills 
known as "Loantaka Terrace." Both of these 
elevated borders are occupied with charming resi- 
dences and drives, from which the views of valley 
and upland are varied and beautiful. 

The valley abounds in springs and is densely 
wooded in much of its extent. Here the birds find a 
favorite resort, and the thickets resound with the 
notes of songsters, many of them too shy to be found 
in more cultivated localities. The woods, fragrant 



16 Bottle Hill and Madison 

with leafy odors and vocal with bird melodies, may 
be enjoyed by a walk or drive along ''Woodland 
Avenue" which passes through them. 

The valley, viewed from the neighboring emin- 
ences, is always beautiful in its ever-changing foli- 
age. When mantled in the rich verdure of June, and 
with the softness of Summer pervading the atmos- 
sphere, its charm is indescribably wonderful and 
impressive. The gloaming of the summer evening, 
and the magnificent colors of the Autumn, are glories 
which, once seen, are never forgotten. 

Well, therefore, does this lovliest of valleys 
answer to the beautiful Indian name of ''Loantaka" 
which it bears, and which is said to mean in the Red 
Man's tongue, ''Very Nice." It undoubtedly bore this 
name during the Revolution ; but fifty years later it 
was known as "Spring Valley," a name which con- 
tinued in use until 1855, when the romantic Indian 
title was resumed, largely in response to the sugges- 
tion made at that time by the Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle. 
The name is thus identified, as it should be, not only 
with its historic past, but with all the associations 
and improvements of recent years. 



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Location of the Camp 19 



LOCATION OF THE CAMP 

The map on the opposite page shows the location 
of the Army Encampment in Loantaka, as recorded 
by the Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle from description by 
Mr. Silas Brookfield and other eyewitnesses. 

( 1 ) Indicates the encampment with a number 

of streets with some three hundred huts. 

(2) Is the Muster or Parade Ground. 

(3) The location of the Commissary Depart- 

ment and Stables. 



CHAPTER V 

THE CAMP-GROUND 

The Loantaka Valley, where the army was now 
quartered, presented a dense forest which also cov- 
ered the entire surrounding region. The land occu- 
pied belonged to the farms of John Easton and Isaac 
Pierson. The center of the camp was placed near 
Mr. Easton's house. This house still stands as a part 
of the farm house on the estate of the late A. M. 
Treadwell, which is now owned by Mr. A. Heyward 
McAlpin. A wide space of four or five rods for a 
parade ground was cut through the woods running 
northeast to southwest. In the middle of this wide 
avenue stood the flag staff, which had come to be 
called by the patriots, in the language of the era, 
the ''Libery Pole." Facing the parade ground, the 
officers' barracks were erected, while further back 
on either side, streets were opened about forty feet in 
width, on which were the soldiers' cabins. These 
were sometimes built singly or in groups of two or 
more. Outside of the regular street formation some 
of the huts were erected with special reference to the 
character of the surface, especially on the north side 
where they were grouped about some hollows which 
marked the side hill in that direction. It is gener- 
ally thought that accommodations were thus made 
for about three thousand troops. 

The cabins, nearly three hundred in number, 
were made of unhewn logs, notched at the ends, and 
laid up one upon another, to a height sufficient to 



The Camp-Ground 21 

allow a soldier to enter erect under the upper course. 
The roofs were made of rough clapboards split out 
of the forest. Places were sawed through the logs 
for a window and a door in each cabin, into which 
were placed rude clapboard doors and shutters with 
wooden hinges and latches. In one end of each cabin 
a rough stone fire-place was thrown up, surmounted 
by a plastered log chimney rising but a few inches 
above the roof. In the other end of each structure 
a bunk was erected with clapboards, resting upon 
timbers driven into the ground. These sleeping 
places reached across the entire end of the cabin, and 
being filled with straw, they were each made to accom- 
modate ten or twelve soldiers. The spaces between 
the logs being chinked with pieces of wood and mud, 
shelter was obtained in a good degree from the force 
of the wind and the pelting of the rain and snow. 
Rough wooden benches, made of timber cut out of 
the woods, answered for seats, and fires were kept 
burning in the fire places. These rough and simple 
features constituted the sum of their furniture and 
conveniences. 

Several larger cabins were built for the accom- 
modation of the commissary department and the 
camp stores near the springs on the south side. The 
sutlers had their quarters in the same direction, 
while along the stream were the sheds for stabling 
the horses. Guard houses were erected on the outer- 
most limits for the sentinels, who constantly paced 
their beats to guard the camp, and to prevent the 
entrance of anyone unprovided with order or 
countersign. 



22 Bottle Hill and Madison 

The elevated plateau just north of the camp, 
and adjoining the road now called *'Kitchell Avenue," 
was used for general reviews and musters. Here 
occurred, on at least one occasion, the punishment 
of a deserter by ''Running the gauntlet." The cul- 
prit was sentenced to run between extended lines 
of soldiers each armed with a whip with which a 
blow was dealt upon his bared back as he sped be- 
tween the ranks. He was made to run this course 
three times, but survived the terrible ordeal, and 
was cured of his habit of insubordination, becoming 
afterwards one of the most orderly soldiers in camp. 

Another deserter was hung on the hill across 
the road from the general review ground just re- 
ferred to, and his body was buried upon the spot. 
In 1855, the Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle, having a short 
time before learned this fact in a conversation with 
Mr. Silas Brookfield, an eyewitness of the scene, was 
told that the workmen who had commenced digging 
for the construction of the house of Dr. Kitchell, then 
State Geologist, had come upon the skeleton of a 
man. Hastening to the spot, he was soon convinced 
that it was indeed the body of the deserter, and a 
complete corroboration of the account. 

The house built by Dr. Kitchell, referred to 
above, was afterwards the residence of Frank R. 
Stockton, and is now the home of Rev. Franklin B. 
Dwight. Between 1870 and 1875, it was occupied for 
three summers by the Roosevelt family, including 
Mrs. Bullock, the grandmother, and young Theodore 
Roosevelt, then in his teens. This fact was men- 
tioned to the author by Miss Henrietta Pennington, 



The Camp-Ground 25 

daughter of the late Gov. William Pennington, who 
well remembers the ex-President as he then appeared. 

General Washington's headquarters, at the time 
of the encampment, were in the old Freeman Tavern 
on the west side of the Morristown Green. The 
Ford Mansion, now known as ''Washington's Head- 
quarters," was not occupied as such until the second 
encampment of the army near Morristown on 
Kemble Mountain in the Winter of 1799-80. 

It was while the army was here encamped that 
the smallpox appeared, and many soldiers as well 
as a large number of the people became its victims. 
Several houses were turned into hospitals, and a 
little cemetery, where many poor fellows were 
buried, used to be seen not far from the corner of 
Woodland Avenue and Glen Road, Morristown. 

In order to fight the disease, inoculation was 
resorted to in the absence of vaccination, then un- 
known. Several places were designated where sol- 
diers and civilians, properly prepared, voluntarily 
took the malady. As a result it was usually in a light 
form, and the patient ordinarily recovered, and 
thus became immune. To further this result orders 
were issued to the troops, and the Commander-in- 
Chief conferred with pastors Johnes of Morristown 
and Green of Hanover, and undoubtedly also with 
Horton, ex-pastor of Bottle Hill, to enlist their 
great influence and authority with the people. Sev- 
eral houses were used for the accommodation of these 
inoculated patients, and as a result of this exercise 
of authority and influence, many submitted to the 
ordeal and the disease was thus finally abated. 



26 Bottle Hill and Madison 





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THE ARMY MAP 1777 

Major Robert Erskine of Washington's staff 
was the Geographer of the army. It was his duty to 
make a map of every district, occupied by the army, 
for immediate use. The New York Historical So- 
ciety has among its priceless treasures nearly a hun- 
dred of the original pen and ink maps made by this 
officer, comprising nearly every field of Revolution- 
ary activity. Among them is his sketch of Bottle 
Hill and Chatham. By special permission of the 
Society Mr. Edward Bierstadt photographed it for 
the author, and it is presented herewith. 



CHAPTER VI 

BOTTLE HILL 

The village of Bottle Hill, now the Borough of 
Madison, was about two miles east of the army's 
encampment. The road by which it was reached 
was what is now known as Kitchell Avenue to the 
old Kings Highway, now Madison Avenue. The 
latter pursued its present course as far as the resi- 
dence of the late John M. Young, and thence ran 
across his lawn by way of the present Elm Street 
and Park Avenue to the site of the James Library. 
Thence crossing the line of the present railroad it 
followed Kings Road to Chatham, Springfield and 
Elizabethtown Point. Main Street was not then in 
existence. The road now called Ridgedale Avenue 
was the highway to Hanover Neck, and Green Vil- 
lage Road to New Vernon. Rosedale Avenue, Brook- 
lake Road, the lower part of High Street, and Gar- 
field Avenue were also in existence. The village 
tavern stood on Park Avenue nearly opposite to the 
fountain in James Park. 

The origin of the name '^Bottle Hill" is ac- 
counted for in three ways. The first is a tradition 
that it was a corruption of ''Battle Hill," named for 
the occurrence of a battle between the Indian tribes 
before the coming of white men to the region. The 
second is a story that two Indians broke a bottle in 
a fight near the spring on the corner of Ridgedale 
and Park Avenues, being the property now occupied 
by Mrs. Henry Burnet. The other explanation is 



28 Bottle Hill and Madison 

the fact that the first tavern in the place was on that 
corner, and had a bottle suspended on a tree in front, 
as a sign of "entertainment within." Major Luke 
Miller, who died in 1851 at the age of ninety-one, 
stated that he saw this bottle sign in his childhood. 
This would seem, therefore, to be the most reason- 
able explanation. 

The first settlement of Bottle Hill was made 
about 1740. 

Among the very first settlers were Barnabas 
and Benjamin Carter — father and son. The resi- 
dence of the former of these, Barnabas Carter, was 
on the southwesterly corner of Rosedale Avenue and 
Main Street, where stands the house occupied in 
recent years by the late Dr. John Albright. Barn- 
abas Carter built the first gristmill in this vicinity, 
located just below the present graveyard boundary. 
The mill dam was built across the valley and flooded 
the lands northward to a considerable depth during 
the rainy season, but during the summer it was 
entirely dry. When this mill was abandoned, a 
horse-mill took its place. 

Two young men, David and James Burnet, 
were also among the first to come. They were sons 
of Captain Daniel Burnet, a wealthy shipmaster in 
the West India trade, and nephews of Governor Wil- 
liam Burnet. They bought twenty-four hundred 
acres of land from the Indians, and induced a num- 
ber of others to join them in the settlement. Among 
those who came at that time or shortly after were 
Jeremiah Genung, Josiah Broadwell, Theophilus 
and Josiah Miller, Silas, Steven and Josiah Hand, 




1906 



LOCATION OF REVOLUTIONARY ROADS, INDICATED BY RED LINES 



Bottle Hill 31 

Abraham and David Corj^, Benjamin Ladner, Lem- 
uel Hedges, Zebedee and Moses Potter, Aaron and 
Josiah Burnet, Jonathan Thompson, Horick Ben- 
jamin, Samuel Marsh, John Muchmore, John, Sam- 
uel and Nathaniel Roberts, Joseph Wingate, John 
and Steven Easton, Daniel, Paul and Steven Day, 
Obadiah Lum, David Bruen, Jabez Lindsley, Israel, 
Thomas and David Ward, Nathaniel and Benjamin 
Bonnel, Benjamin Harris, Joseph Wood, Benjamin 
Burroughs, Ellis Cook and Jacob Morrell. 

The homestead of David Burnet was the house 
still standing on Rosedale Avenue at the foot of the 
hill on the property of the late William Toothe. It is 
the house which is identified as "The one having the 
spring in the cellar." 

David Burnet gave the land for the churchyard 
and burying ground. The first person interred in 
the latter is said to have been one hundred years old. 
This was interpreted as a favorable omen, indicative 
of healthfulness and longevity, features which, in 
fact, have been perculiarly characteristic of the place. 



32 



Bottle Hill and Madison 




THE OLD MEETING-HOUSE. 



This picture is taken from S. L. Tuttle's his- 
tory of the Madison Church, 1855. 

"Having from various sources heard descrip- 
tions from aged persons of the old meeting house, 
the author drew a rough sketch of it as it lay in his 
mind. 

"This was submitted to those who had often 
seen the old structure, and who had a recollection 
of its appearance, and one slight alteration after 
another was made until the draught given in this 
history was completed, and pronounced by them all 
to be perfect." 

From Manuscript Notes by Rev. S. L. Tuttle. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE OLD MEETING HOUSE 

As stated in a preceding chapter, the first 
church in this region was situated in the village of 
Whipponong, now Whippany, and was built about 
1718. To this church the people of Bottle Hill used 
to go, together with those of all the surrounding 
country, walking six, eight and sometimes ten miles 
to attend service. From this older organization, the 
church of South Hanover, at Bottle Hill, was set off 
in 1747. This Church afterwards became the Pres- 
byterian Church of Madison. At first it was con- 
nected with the Presbytery of New York, as were 
also other churches in this region. 

For nearly three years after the organization 
of the church, the congregation were unable to avail 
themselves of the labors of a stated pastor and were 
obliged to look to the Presbytery of New York and 
to other sources for occasional supplies. Early in 
the year 1750, the congregation invited the Rev. 
Nehemiah Greenman to preach for them as a stated 
supply. Mr. Greenman became acquainted with the 
Rev. David Brainerd, the celebrated Missionary 
among the Indians, and gave him a liberal education. 
In his daily journal as given by President Edwards 
he calls Mr. Greenman his ''dear friend." 

Among the original members of the Church and 
congregation who took an active part in effecting 
the organization of this Christian Society were the 
following: Paul Day, Joseph Wood and John Pier- 



34 Bottle Hill and Madison 

son, the first elders of the church, and their wives; 
Barnabas, Benjamin and Luke Carter, and their 
wives; together with the Burnet's; the Bonnel's; 
theEaston's; theBruen's; theGenung's; the Day's; 
the Hand's; the Miller's; the Harris's; the Rob- 
erts's; the Burroughs's; the Hedges's; and others 
who were living at that time in this vicinity. From 
all that can be ascertained at this late day, it is 
believed that but a very small portion of the male 
members of the congregation were members of the 
church ; though there were many leading men here, 
who, though they made no profession of religion, 
were commendably active in bringing about the 
organization, and in erecting a house of worship. 

For a year or two, the new society worshipped 
in barns and private houses, and sometimes, when 
the weather permitted, in the open air, until some 
time in the year 1748, when active measures were 
taken for the erection of a house of worship. After 
a good deal of planning, consultation and persever- 
ing effort on the part of the people residing in this 
vicinity, the edifice was commenced. The founda- 
tion of the building was laid during the year 1749, 
nearly two years after the organization of the So- 
ciety. 

The work advanced however but slowly, and 
at one time on account of the want of means to pro- 
ceed, it was actually arrested, until by the prompt 
and decided action of Mr. Luke Carter, one of the 
original settlers of this place, who said that ''if the 
congregation would not complete the work, he would 
do it himself," it was resumed, and the building was 



The Old Meeting House 35 

at length enclosed. It was then seated in a very rude 
manner with boards and slabs, and with a plain 
oaken table or desk for a pulpit; and in this condi- 
tion it appears to have been used for a period of 
about fifteen years. 

Then the congregation appointed a committee 
to superintend the furnishing of the meeting house 
and gave certain individuals permission to construct 
pews for their own accommodation in different parts 
of the church, next to the walls, both below and in 
the gallery. 

An interesting reference to these old pews is 
found in the following copy of the minutes of the 
Parish in regard to the finishing up of the old Meet- 
ing House. 

^'Wednesday September the 5 year 1764 South 
hanover. At a parish meeting appointed and mett 
att this house and passed the following votes, viz. 
Chose Beniamin Day Esquire Moderator. Stephen 
hand Jr. Clark. Josiah Miller and James tichenor 
assessors. Ben day Esquire and Abraham Corey 
collectors. Voted that Josiah Broadwell Esqy and 
Jacob Morral shall have Liberty to Build a pue at 
the West end of the house voted that the old Com- 
mittee Be Dissolved voted that Beniamin Day Esqy 
and Thomas Genug and Josiah Miller Be a new Com- 
mittee for to have the care of the finishing of the 
meeting house." 

''Monday Septembr the 24th yr 1764 att a par- 
ish meeting appointed and met at this house and 
passed the following votes viz Choose Decon John 
pierson Moderator 



36 Bottle Hill and Madison 

''1 voted that Josiah Broadwell and Jacob 
Morral Shall Build a pue at the west end of the 
Meeting house adjoyning to the corner pue. 

''2 voted that David Bruing Do Build a pue next 
To Mr. Broadwell 

"3 voted that Silas hand Do Build a pue next 
to Mr. Bruing. 

"4 voted that Josiah hand and William Burnet 
Do Build a pue in the front gallery over the mens 
stairs. 

"5 voted Aaron Burnet Jr Do Build a pue in 
the front gallery next to Josiah hand and William 
Burnet 

''6 voted that Josiah Miller and Luke Carter 
Do Build the third pue in the front gallery 

"1 voted that James tichnor and Samuel Rob- 
barts Do Build the fourth pue in the front gallery 
over the womans stairs 

''8 voted that Beniamin Sayres and Stephen 
Robbarts Do Build the first pue in the East End 
gallery next to the stairs. 

^'9 voted that Israel Ward and Nehemiah Car- 
ter Do Build the third pue in the East End gallery. 

''N. B. all the aforesaid votes were carried in 
the affirmative when the greates part of the congre- 
gation were present." 

These pews were surmounted with little rail- 
ings which were so high that sometimes the occu- 
pants, particularly the younger portion, were obliged 
to look through them, instead of over them, to see 
the minister. Parts of these railings were used in 
the gallery of the present church on Main Street. 



The Old Meeting House 37 

The front of the gallery was an open balustrade, 
made of small round banisters; and the seating 
of the house generally was of plain pine panel work. 
Each seat had a door which was hung on plain 
wrought iron strap hinges, and fastened with a 
wooden button. 

The main body was seated with single pews 
having high perpendicular backs, which came above 
the shoulders of their adult occupants. The lower 
part of the house was divided by three aisles. Two 
stairways on the sides of the main entrance led to 
the gallery which afforded a second row of square 
pews like those around the walls down-stairs, while 
over the main entrance were two very high pews, 
looking almost like a second gallery, popularly called 
'Tig-Pens," and which were afterwards memorable 
to old inhabitants in recalling misdeeds in their youth 
during church services. 

'^During the earlier periods of the church's his- 
tory, it appears to have been very common for chil- 
dren and young people to misconduct themselves 
greatly during the time of Divine Worship in the 
sanctuary. 

"In the records belonging to this parish it is 
spoken of in several cases as a part of the sexton's 
duty to look after cases of this kind during the time 
of service; and in the midst of Mr. Hillyer's minis- 
try, the sessional records state, 'that it shall be the 
duty of one or two of the Session every Sabbath to 
watch over the unruly in the time of public wor- 
ship ' " 



38 Bottle Hill and Madison 

Talking, laughing, eating, etc., in the sanctuary 
were matters of no unusual occurrence; and when 
these things took place, it was very common for the 
sexton or one of the Session to go to the offender 
and box his ears during meeting, or march him out 
into some other seat where he would be less likely to 
repeat the offence. 

A pulpit, five-sided, was placed high on a single 
column in the northeastern end of the church, while 
underneath it was a large square pew called the 
''Deacon's Pew," in which the deacons as well as the 
choristers were accustomed to sit. Over the pulpit 
was suspended quite an elaborately fashioned sound- 
ing board painted deep blue. With this exception, 
there was no paint on either the outside or inside 
of the house to detract from the virgin color of the 
wood. In this edifice the people worshipped for 
nearly seventy years. 

The South Hanover Meeting House at Bottle 
Hill stood on the top of the hill in the old burying 
ground, fronting the highway which then ran over 
the hill instead of through the railroad cut as at 
present, and which is now called Kings Road. 

A good way to locate the site of the old church 
is to remember that the Azariah Horton tomb was 
just behind it close to the rear wall. A wide grass 
plot in front of the church extended to the road, 
while at the front door lay a large, flat stone, uncut 
and untrimmed, which served as a step. 

A wild cherry tree stood on the plot, while oaks 
and walnut trees, saved from the primeval forests, 
lined the street both eastward and westward. 



The Old Meeting House 41 

Under these trees along the road, a row of 
hitching posts for the horses extended to the foot 
of the hill in either direction. 

The church was a plain structure, without spire 
or belfry, forty-eight feet by fifty in size, and cov- 
ered on all sides with shingles. It was capable of 
accommodating about four hundred and fifty per- 
sons. 

The main entrance was toward the street, but 
another door opened into the churchyard on the 
southeast side. 

Back of the church the burying ground sloped 
down to the edge of a grist mill pond, formed by a 
dam across the valley not far from the present ceme- 
tery boundary. The ground northward was thus 
overflowed. Of course, no road then existed where 
Main Street is now. Below the dam was the grist 
mill, and still further down, on the site of the home- 
stead of the late Dr. John Albright, was the house 
of Barnabas Carter, the owner of the mill. 

During the winter of 1776-77, while the Army 
was in winter quarters here, it was very common 
for both officers and privates to attend Divine wor- 
ship in the old Church. The officers sat with the 
families with which they were quartered, and com- 
panies of soldiers took their places in the southeast 
gallery. 

About the year 1778, Rev. Ebenezer Bradford 
labored among the congregation as a stated supply 
for nearly three years, and during this period the 
church withdrew from the old Presbytery of New 



42 Bottle Hill and Madison 

York and formed what was called the 'Tresbytery 
of Morris County." 

"From the Parish Records for the year 1795, it 
would appear that the Old Meeting House was still 
in some respects in an unfinished state; and that 
on account of the demand for seats the question of 
enlarging the house was brought up before the con- 
gregation. 

"From all that can be ascertained, the Church, 
up to the time just mentioned, although completely 
seated, etc., was never lathed and plastered above 
the gallery. 

"For years the congregation worshipped there 
while all the timbers, to the very peak of the roof, 
were exposed to the view of the worshippers. 

"The walls around the house, under the gallery, 
were properly ceiled; but the entire upper part of 
the edifice until 1795 was left unceiled. 

"At that time the parish determined, in view of 
all the circumstances, not to enlarge the edifice but 
to complete it by putting on the ceiling already 
spoken of. This then may be considered as the period 
when the sanctuary here was finished; so that we 
may say with the old Jews in our Lord's time: 
Torty and six years was this temple in building.' 
(John 2: 20)."— Quoted from Rev. S. L. Tuttle. 

The last religious service that was held in the 
old sanctuary was on the last Sabbath of February 
1825, a full account of which was furnished to Rev. 
S. L. Tuttle by the pastor, the Rev. Mr. Bergen. 
On the following day, Monday, the workmen engaged 



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GROUND PLAN OF THE OLD MEETING HOUSE AND THE NAMES 

OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE SEATS AT THE 

TIME IT WAS PULLED DOWN 

The above is from a sketch which was drawn up by the Trustees on 

the 29th of April, 1824. 



The Old Meeting House 45 

on the new church, assisted by the members of the 
congregation, met and took down the venerable edi- 
fice, stick by stick, and laid its various parts among 
the tombs of those who originally reared it. 



CHAPTER VIII 

STOVES IN CHURCH 

The following interesting reference to the old 
time customs is quoted verbatim from Rev. S. L. 
Tuttle's notes : 

''The month of December, 1819, is memorable 
in the annals of this congregation as the time when, 
by a formal and well considered vote of the parish 
the first stove was introduced into our sanctuary. 
The committee appointed to look after this matter 
consisted of Messrs. Nathaniel Roberts, Charles 
Carter, Jacob Bonnel and Benjamin Thompson. 
For nearly seventy years previous to this time, our 
ancestors worshipped without seeming to have had 
the most remote conception of so obvious a source 
of comfort in the House of God. Thej^ rode in many 
instances for several miles to the sanctuary ; attend- 
ed two services with an intermission of an hour be- 
tween them, and rode to their homes again without 
even 'the smell of fire having passed upon them !' 

"Previous to this time it was the almost uni- 
versal practice for each family to carry a small foot- 
stove with them to the sanctuary, in which care- 
fully prepared coals of hickory wood or of cobs were 
placed ; and these stoves were passed back and forth 
in the seats during the time of service, for the com- 
fort of the various occupants ; and it was no uncom- 
mon thing to see them handed over from one seat 
to another during the season of Worship. The 
wealthiest families residing near the church sent 



Stoves in Churches 47 

their stoves to their seats by their servants before 
the service began, while those residing at a distance 
brought theirs in their wagons, replenishing the 
coals, at times, at some house in the neighborhood 
of the sanctuary. 




ONE OF THE FOOT STOVES 

"When the committee had procured the stove, 
which was an immense box stove for burning wood, 
it became quite a serious matter to decide where it 
should be located. It was at length agreed that it 
should be placed in the middle of the center aisle. 
There, thus, this great luxury was properly installed, 
while the pipe rising to the height of the gallery, 
was brought towards the front of the house and led 
by branches under the front gallery out of the win- 
dows on either end of the house next to the front 
corners. A piece of sheet iron containing a hole to 



48 Bottle Hill and Madison 

suit the pipe and fitted in the place of a pane of glass 
on either side, kept the pipe from the sashes. Around 
the stove thus located the people gathered to warm 
themselves before the services began ; and it was no 
uncommon thing to see men, women and children 
come into the house after the exercises had begun, 
and gather about the stove for the purpose of warm- 
ing themselves. Footstoves, which were as yet by 
no means wholly given up, were often filled at the 
stove in the sanctuary, and in some cases while the 
services were in progress. There are many persons 
still living among us who remember with what holy 
horror the idea was conceived of by some of having 
a stove in the House of God! By many it was re- 
garded as an innovation not to be tolerated, and as 
a matter which in all probability would bring down 
the curse of God upon the parish. The same feeling 
which has led many to exclude the ''ungodly great 
fiddle," and other instruments of music from the 
sanctuary, led many in this vicinity to fear, that by 
introducing stoves there, they might be offering de- 
fiance to the justice of the Almighty. The House 
of God, said all such, was not a place for people to 
go and be comfortable, but a place for them to repair 
to, to worship Jehovah." 

During the year 1827, the old stove which had 
warmed the venerable Meeting House was disposed 
of by public sale. 



CHAPTER IX 

A DIFFERENCE ON PSALMODY 

The following extract is taken verbatim from 
Rev. S. L. Tuttle's manuscript : 

''About eight years after Mr. Horton's settle- 
ment, it appears that there were two parties in the 
congregation, strongly pitted against one another 
in reference to the version of Psalmody, which should 
be used in the worship of the Sanctuary." 

"This difficulty had been in progress for several 
years previously. 

"At length it would seem that the Society had 
agreed to compromise the matter by singing a part 
of the time from Rouse's version of Scottish Psalm- 
ody, and a part of the time from the version of Dr. 
Watts. 

"The compromise did not last long, but the whole 
difficulty was renewed again, and the parties were 
once more brought to swords' points. At last in the 
month of January, 1759, a meeting was called to see 
if the congregation could not be brought to a state 
of harmony, in reference to this matter. The Rev. 
Timothy Johnes of Morristown and the Rev. Mr. 
Elmer of New Providence, together with the pastor, 
the Rev. Mr. Horton, were invited to be present and 
unite their counsels on the occasion. 

"The Minute of the Parish, however, on this 
Subject, will speak for itself, and I give it conse- 
quently as it is on record. 



50 Bottle Hill and Madison 

^' 'thursday Jany ye 11 1759. 

at a meeting appointed and met at this house 
and passed ye following voats namely 1 that ye 
Reavd Mr. Joans should Be moderator and ye Reavd 
Mrs. Horton and Elenmore preasent to assist in the 
Settling of the Diferances Relating to ye Psalms 2 
that we shall no more Sing Both Versions as for- 
merly But that we Shall now pass a Voat which shall 
be Sung hully 3 Voated that Wats's Version shall be 
Sung here hully for time to come then Dismissed Ye 
Reavd Mrs. Joans, — horton Elenmore and voated 
Ct Bonnel moderator Samuel fraust and Isaac 
Winans to Lead the Psalm tune.' 

'Trom this Minute it appears that the congre- 
gation were induced to unite in the resolution to 
adopt thereafter Dr. Watts' version to the exclusion 
of Rouse's, and this result was doubtless in a great 
measure brought about through the efforts and rep- 
resentations of the clergymen who were in attend- 
ance on the occasion." 



CHAPTER X 

REV. AZARIAH HORTON 

The first pastor of the Church of South Han- 
over at Bottle Hill was the Rev. Azariah Horton. 
A native of Southold, L. I., where he was born in 
1715, he was graduated at Yale College in 1735, and 
licensed to preach in 1741. He was ordained as a 
missionary among the Indians by the Presbytery of 
New York, and had the honor of being the first 
American Foreign Missionary. He had been called 
to this service by a number of clergymen of New 
York and vicinity, among them being Rev. Ebenezer 
Pemberton of New York : Rev. Aaron Burr of New- 
ark and Rev. Jonathan Edwards of Northampton, 
Mass. They were organized as a commission rep- 
resenting the ''Society of Scotland for Propagating 
Christian Knowledge." They proceeded to select 
two men who should devote themselves to this work, 
and the first chosen was Mr. Horton, and the second, 
the celebrated Rev. David Brainerd. 

Among the Indians of Long Island, Mr. Horton 
labored successfully for a number of years, his sal- 
ary being forty pounds per annum. His home at 
that time was in Shinnecock, about two miles west 
of Southampton, in which place he met and married 
Miss Eunice Foster. In addition to his labors on 
Long Island, he preached among the Indians at 
Wyoming and the Forks of the Delaware, where he 
did much to prepare the way for Rev. David Brainerd 
who had just been appointed to this work. He con- 



52 Bottle Hill and Madison 

tinued his labors as a missionary until the year 1751, 
when he became the pastor at Bottle Hill. Prior to 
his coming, the church enjoyed the ministrations of 
Rev. Nehemiah Greenman as a stated supply. Mr. 
Horton came as a candidate for settlement, and dur- 
ing the latter part of 1751 was regularly installed 
as pastor of the church. 

His salary was only seventy pounds per annum, 
and in order to help in the support of their large 
family, Mrs. Horton kept a small store, and managed 
it with such thrift and success as not only to provide 
for the education of her children, but also to lay 
aside a sum sufficient for the purchase of a small 
farm. This store was on the corner of Kings Road 
and Green Village Road, the property owned in later 
years by Mr. James A. Webb. Mrs. Horton seems 
to have been a very energetic and capable woman, 
and in every respect a worthy helpmeet of the excel- 
lent pioneer pastor. 

After laboring in Bottle Hill most faithfully 
and successfully for over twenty-five years, Mr. 
Horton resigned the pastorate in October, 1776, and 
went to live with his son, Foster Horton, in the 
neighboring village of Chatham. He was there resid- 
ing when about three months later the Revolution- 
ary Army came into winter quarters in Loantaka 
Valley. Within a short time after its arrival, 
the smallpox began to prevail among both troops 
and citizens. Mr. Horton saw his beloved flock with- 
out a shepherd, the Church having only the services 
of Rev. Mr. Richards, a stated supply, and needing 
the ministrations of a pastor in sickness and death. 



Rev. Azariah Horton 



53 



His loyal heart also went out to the brave troops who 
were dying, far from home and kindred. Under 
these distressing circumstances, with the self-forget- 
fulness and devotion of a true minister and patriot, 
he threw himself again into the work of a pastor. 
He ministered to the dying and performed the last 
sad offices for the dead, and thus exposed himself to 
the contagion to which he fell a victim. He was 
seized with the disease, and died March 27, 1777. 




TOMB OF REV. AZARIAH HORTOX 



The heroism and devotion which thus marked 
the close of this good man's life deeply impressed 
both army and people. Deep grief was felt by all 
classes. He was buried just back of the pulpit where 
he had so long preached. A monument, consisting 



54 Bottle Hill and Madison 

of a horizontal slab of freestone resting upon six up- 
rights, was erected over his grave. It bears the in- 
scription : 

'^In memory of 

the Rev. Azariah Horton, 

for twenty-five years 

pastor of this church; 

died March 27, 1777, 

Aged Sixty-two years.^^ 

The monument is a rare one, for those times, in 
beauty and costliness; and it seems reasonable to 
believe, in view of the circumstances, that the officers 
of the army, and perhaps the Father of his Country 
himself, had a share in its erection. The old church 
and pulpit have long since gone, but the tomb re- 
mains, uninjured, to testify to the heroic pastor of 
1776. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE OLD PARSONAGE 

In 1763, the South Hanover Congregation pur- 
chased a piece of land comprising about fifty acres, 
with a house and barn upon it, as a parsonage prop- 
erty. Its location was on Kings Road and Green 
Village Road, extending on the latter nearly to the 
line of the present Hillside Avenue. The house was 
large, and stood facing the southeast, with its gable 
toward Kings Road. The eaves at the front were 
high, while those in the rear descended so low as to 
be reached from the ground. The rear of the house 
was about the center line of the present Green Ave- 
nue. A large kitchen extended from the southwest 
end. The house had the immense, old-fashioned fire 
places, and all the beams in the ceilings were left un- 
covered. The trees which stood in front and at the 
gable end were only recently removed to prepare the 
grading for the new railway station ( 1915 ) . A store 
was erected on the corner of Green Village Road, and 
this was kept by Mrs. Horton, the pastor's wife, as 
previously stated. 

After Mr. Horton's death in 1777, the parson- 
age was occupied by Rev. Ebenezer Bradford, who 
succeeded him as pastor. Mr. Bradford had married 
a daughter of Rev. Jacob Green of Hanover, and in 
addition to his work as pastor of the church, taught 
a classical school. For this purpose he erected a 
building opposite his house, on the site recently 
occupied by the old Lackawanna railroad station. He 



56 



Bottle Hill and Madison 



was assisted in teaching by his brother-in-law, Ash- 
bel Green, who had just been graduated from college. 
Most of the pupils were from other parts of the coun- 
try, and a considerable number were here prepared 
for college. 

While the old parsonage was being occupied by 
Mr. Bradford, it became the scene of a romantic 




THE OLD PARSONAGE 

This picture of the Old Parsonage was taken just before its removal 

to make way for Green Avenue in 1870. The original photograph 

was presented to the author by Mrs. M. Augusta Greene. 

wedding, which was one of the memorable events of 
those stirring years in Bottle Hill. A short time be- 
fore, a number of officers belonging to the American 
Army were riding through Chatham. In the party 
was Lieutenant d'Anterroches, a young Frenchman 
and kinsman of Marquis de Lafayette. The son of 
Count d'Anterroches of France, he had accompanied 



The Old Parsonage 



57 



Lafayette to this country and thrown in his fortunes 
on the side of the patriots. As the horsemen passed 
the house of Captain David Vanderpoel, near Chat- 
ham bridge, his young daughter Mary stepped out 
of the door, and Lieutenant d'Anterroches saw her 
and lost his heart. He succeeded in winning her, 



crAi. O^Oi fn-'ji- 



T r 



/ 












1 1 


i 1 ' J, 




SKETCH OF OLD PARSONAGE IN BOTTLE HILL 
Taken from Rev. S. L. Tuttle's manuscript history. 

but not without great opposition from her father, 
which however was finally overcome. The uproar 
of war was so great around the homestead, that a 
wedding there was not attempted ; but on the 30th of 
January, 1780, the bridal party went to Bottle Hill, 
and in the Old Parsonage, Mr. Bradford made one 



58 Bottle Hill and Madison 

the happy twain. The snow was deep and the cold 
intense, but joy reigned within, and the old house 
was the scene of a brilliant and happy gathering. 
Many years afterward Madame d'Anterroches. then 
an aged lady, visited the Old Parsonage which had 
become the home of Dr. Henry P. Green, and with 
tender interest recalled the romantic wedding of 
1780. Dr. Green's young daughter, Augusta, 
greeted her at the door, and heard her recount the 
romance of the olden time, and then narrated the 
incident to the author but a short time before her 
death. 

Mr. Bradford resigned the pastorate in the 
spring of 1782, and the parsonage, having been put 
in repair, the congregation resolved to rent it, by 
putting it up at public vendue. In this way it was 
rented to Col. Francis Barber, a distinguished officer 
of the Continental Army. The following entry is still 
legible in the parish record : 

1782. May 1. Cornl Francis Barber Dr. 
to the pashnedg house and 

home Lot 43-10-0 

The next entry is as follows: 

1782. Mayl. Cornl Matthyas Ogden Dr. 
to 10 acers of pasnedge by Jonathan 
Thompson 

Received the above account by 
Ephraim Sayre one of the 
Commity. 
Subsequently, the old parsonage was the resi- 
dence of the pastors Miller, Hillyer, and Perrine 
until the latter erected a house of his own, and the 



The Old Parsonage 59 

parsonage property was sold by the congregation for 
$2,350. It became the property of Dr. Nathan 
Bishop, a leading physician, who occupied it until his 
death. Dr. Henry P. Green first came to Bottle Hill 
as a teacher in the Madison Academy, and in 1828 be- 
came the assistant and co-physician with Dr. Bishop. 
At the latter's death. Dr. Green succeeded to his prac- 
tice and his homestead, in which he continued to 
reside until his death in 1858. Following is the in- 
scription on Dr. Green's tomb-stone in Hillside Ceme- 
tery, Madison: 

H. Prentice Green, M. D. 

Born at Calais, Vt. 

Dec. 1st, 1798 

Died at Madison N. J. 

(Where he practiced medicine 

30 years) 

Oct. 15th 1858. 



CHAPTER XII 

GENERAL WAYNE'S HEADQUARTERS 

The venerable house which is still standing on 
Ridgedale Avenue, Madison, and known as the "Old 
Sayre Mansion," was used by General Anthony 
Wayne as his headquarters while the army was in 
camp in Loantaka Valley. The house, built by 
Daniel Sayre about 1745, was the homestead of his 
son, Deacon Ephraim Sayre, during the Revolution. 
Mr. Sayre was a man of the noblest character, both 
as Christian and patriot, and his house was always 
opened with a generous hospitality to the needs of 
both officers and soldiers. 

The office of the General was the front room in 
the north corner, the window of which, in the picture 
given herewith, is just behind the further column of 
the front porch. It is memorable for the frequent 
conferences which there occurred between the fam- 
ous officers of the patriotic forces, including the 
illustrious Commander-in-Chief. 

Rev. James Caldwell, pastor of the First Pres- 
byterian Church of Elizabethtown, was a chaplain in 
the army as well as Deputy Quartermaster General. 
In addition to his other duties he frequently preached 
in Bottle Hill. He was a warm, personal friend of 
Deacon Sayre, and a number of times he preached 
in the mansion, using the south front room for the 
purpose. The spot where he stood on these occasions 
was in the south corner of the room, or in the corner 
of the house nearest the spectator in the picture. 



General Wayne's Headquarters 



61 



It will be recalled that Mr. Caldwell was shot 
by a sentinel at Elizabethtown Point, it being popu- 
larly supposed at the time to be at the instigation of 
the enemy or their sympathizers. Mrs. Caldwell 
had previously been shot by a Hessian soldier during 




HEADQUARTERS OF GEN. ANTHONY WAYNE 
Pencil sketch 1894 from picture on map by T. Hughes, 1857. 



the Connecticut Farms raid. When Mr. Sayre 
heard of Parson Caldwell's death, he harnessed his 
team, went to Elizabethtown and took Mr. Caldwell's 
six orphan children to his own house and cared for 
them until they were permanently provided for else- 



62 Bottle Hill and Madison 

where. They were under his roof for at least three 
months, and learned during that time to greatly love 
and reverence their benefactor. 

Elias Boudinot Caldwell, who was one of these 
children, afterwards became clerk of the United 
States Supreme Court, which office he filled from 
1800 to 1827. When the Capitol was burned by the 
British in 1814, the Supreme Court met in his house 
in Washington, now 204-206 New Jersey Avenue, 
until the Capital was rebuilt. He furnished the Bible 
on which the Presidents took the oath of ofiice during 
his incumbency. 

My father leaves on record the following amus- 
ing anecdote which was obtained from an eye wit- 
ness. Parson Caldwell as Deputy Quartermaster 
General had an office in Chatham, with the sign, 
James Caldwell, D. Q. M. G. An old farmer was 
looking at it very curiously when the Parson came 
along, and asked what he was looking at. ^'I am 
wondering what that all means," he said. ''Well 
what do you think it means," inquired the Parson. 
''I don't know," said the man scratching his head, 
''D. Q. M. G." ''D. Q. M. G."— ''I can't think unless 
it means 'Develish Queer Minister of the Gospel.' " 
The Parson laughed heartily at this and passed on. 

Mrs. Sarah Richards and Miss Rachel Sayre, 
daughters of Deacon Ephraim Sayre, were still liv- 
ing in the old house in 1855, and the details of its 
associations were taken down from their statements. 
Their recollection of the scenes of the war of which 
they were eye witnesses, was very clear, and nothing 
pleased them more than to tell of the exciting events 



o > 




General Wayne's Headquarters 65 

which they had observed during those stirring times. 

Mrs. Richards narrated the following incident 
of the war which made a deep impression on her, 
being about six years of age at the time of the occur- 
rence. 

On the 13th of December 1779, the village was 
thrown into excitement and terror by the report 
that the British forces had defeated the American 
troops, and that the latter were retreating over the 
Short Hills, closely followed by the enemy. Many 
families made hasty preparations to leave the place, 
and take refuge further away in the mountains, and 
for a while the panic was great. Toward evening, 
however, the truth became known when our forces 
appeared, and proved to be a large detachment under 
marching orders for Kemble Hill, where they were 
to go into quarters for the Winter. As the troops 
reached the village, the night was coming on and a 
halt was made, tents were pitched, camp fires were 
lighted, and the soldiers, gathering around their 
bivouacs, proceeded to cook their suppers. The lines 
of the encampment filled each side of the main road, 
and extended for more than a mile from end to end 
of the village. The vanguard was in the neighbor- 
hood of Elm Street and Convent Road, while the rear 
extended below the Old Meeting House on Cemetery 
Hill. Within these limits the soldiers were in camp 
as closely as possible, completely filling the side 
spaces of the road. 

All night the fires were kept burning, and in the 
early morning, the smoke curling upward in the crisp 
winter air along the whole line, presented a striking 



66 Bottle Hill and Madison 

appearance, viewed from the elevated position of the 
Sayre Mansion. The men cooked their breakfasts 
in their places, while the houses of the people were 
filled with officers who were invited to eat with the 
owners. At her father's house, our little eye-witness 
saw the breakfast table replenished seven times, for 
as many groups of officers. The tents were then 
struck and the march resumed to Morristown and 
Kemble Hill. 

Another little girl living near Washington's 
Headquarters, Morristown, saw the same detach- 
ment pass on the road from Bottle Hill, while on an- 
other day of the same week she saw the rest of the 
army from West Point. They were marching to the 
same destination, but on the road from Pompton and 
Whippany, which joins the Bottle Hill road at the 
Headquarters. This little girl afterwards became 
Mrs. Silas Lindsley, and in 1855 narrated the occur- 
rence when eighty-two years of age. 

It was somewhere about the year 1790 in the 
southwest front room of the house of Deacon 
Ephraim Sayre, that the Tuesday Evening Prayer 
Meeting of the Presbyterian Church was established. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE OLD MILLER HOUSE 

This ancient house, which for so many 3^ears was 
the homestead of Major Luke Miller, is situated on 
Ridgedale Avenue, Madison, at a point which in 
former days was known as Miller's Station. It 
stands on a knoll at the right of the street, and faces 
on a diagonal. Its quaint appearance and position 
arrest the attention of the passerby ; and not only the 
exterior, but the well-preserved interior, bears testi- 




MAJOR LUKE MILLER 

mony to the manners and methods of the olden time. 
In this house Major Miller was born, and it was his 
home until he died at the age of ninety-one. 

The land on which it stands was purchased from 
the Indians by David Burnet, who sold it to Andrew 
Miller, the grandfather of the Major. The house 



68 Bottle Hill and Madison 

was erected by Andrew Miller some time before 1750. 
When the Revolution took place, Josiah Miller, son 
of Andrew, occupied it. His son, the Major, was 
then but seventeen years of age. While the army 
was encamped in Loantaka Valley, and at other times 
in the neighborhood of Bottle Hill, it was the scene 
of much hospitality and gayety. This was due to 
its owner's prominence, as well as the young soldier's 
connection with the army. Both officers and soldiers 
found a welcome under its roof, and many distin- 
guished men were among its frequenters. Of course 
it has possessed its "Washington's Chair" and other 
relics, with the best of evidence that they are genuine, 
as there is no doubt that the great commander was 
in the house many times. 

The picture represents the house as it was photo- 
graphed in 1894. In it, the beholder stands on Ridge- 
dale Avenue and looks eastward. The appearance 
of the house has not materially changed since then. 
The following inscription marks the simple, yet 
elegant, monument over the Major's grave in the old 
Bottle Hill Cemetery. It is, at once, a model of excel- 
lence as a mortuary record, and a fitting memorial 
of a Revolutionary hero : 



O 

d 

H 




The Old Miller House 



71 



''A Soldier of the Revolution. 

Maj. Luke Miller, 

son of 

Josiah Miller, 

son of 

Andrew Miller, 

was horn at Miller's Station 

Bottle Hill 

Sept. 8, 1759. 

Died at the same place, 

Jan. 23, 1851. 




TOMB OF MAJ. LUKE MILLER 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE JOSEPH BRUEN HOUSE 

The old house, which was the home of Joseph 
Bruen at the time of the Revolution, was standing 
in 1905 in the Borough of Madison. It was on the 
southerly side of Kings Road just below Samson 
Avenue. It was then in an excellent state of preserv- 
ation, and, with a moden extension, has been, until 
recently, the residence of the late John C. Bruns. 
Joseph Bruen, its Revolutionary possessor, was a 
''Minute Man" who served in that capacity with 
braver}^ and distinction. 

It was on the morning of the 23rd of June, 1780, 
that the booming of the cannon on the Short Hills 
sounded an alarm. This announced the approach of 
a strong force of the enemy, and called the farmers 
of the region to join the little army at Springfield. 
Mr. Bruen took his gun and went to the fray, doing 
his part as one of the ''hornets," as Gen. Kuyphausen, 
the Hessian commander, styled his assailants in his 
report of the action. 

Mr. Bruen's little boy, Ichabod, then six years 
old, was in school at the time of the alarm. The 
school-house was situated upon the spot where, until 
recently, stood the old Madison Station of the Dela- 
ware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. This was 
a flourishing and somewhat famous classical acad- 
emy; most of the pupils were from other parts of 
the country and a considerable number pursued their 
studies here, preparatory to their entering college. 



The Joseph Bruen House 



73 



The teacher was the Rev. Ebenezer Bradford, who 
labored as a stated supply in the Presbj^terian 
Church of Bottle Hill, for nearly three years. His 
assistant in the school was his brother-in-law, Ashbel 
Green, the son of Rev. Jacob Green of Hanover. Mr. 




THE JOSEPH BRUEN HOUSE 
Taken in 1901. 



Green had shortly before been graduated from 
Princeton College, of which he became in later years 
a famous president. When the alarm was sounded, 
school was dismissed and the young teacher went to 



74 Bottle Hill and Madison 

the battle. There he distinguished himself by con- 
duct which won mention from the commander, Gen- 
eral Nathaniel Greene, in his official report. 

Meanwhile, little Ichabod Bruen hurried home 
and found that his mother had the ox team before 
the door, and was loading the wagon with furniture 
to remove to a place of safety in the woods. Happily 
the British were checked, and flight was unnecessary. 
It illustrates the dangers of the war which threat- 
ened the people with the loss of their homes, the 
houses being destroyed wherever the British and 
Hessians went. The farmers thus realized that the 
fight was not only for country, but for **home," and 
the sooner they met the enemy, the more they would 
have left at the homestead. 

In 1855, Ichabod Bruen was still living at the 
age of eighty-one, and narrated these circumstances 
with the utmost clearness of recollection. The ac- 
count was taken down from his lips as told above, 
and is thus the story of an eye-witness of these mem- 
orable events. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE NEW JERSEY JOURNAL 

Alexander Hamilton, when a boy of fourteen, 
living with his relatives on the Island of St. Croix, 
West Indies, wrote a description of a hurricane 
which was published in a newspaper of that island. 
This newspaper was set up and printed by a young 
man named Shepard Kollock. The article displayed 
such brilliant talent that it lead young Hamilton's 
friends to resolve that he should have a liberal edu- 
cation, and two years later, at the age of sixteen, 
he landed alone in New York in pursuit of that ob- 
ject. He repaired at once to Elizabethtown, N. J., 
where he became a pupil in the school of Francis 
Barber, who was afterwards famous as a colonel in 
the Revolutionary Army. 

Young Hamilton pursued his studies for some 
time under Barber. He then applied to Princeton 
College for admission, with the privilege of advancing 
from class to class, as fast as he should be prepared, 
without awaiting the usual promotion annually. 
This unprecedented demand was declined by the 
faculty, and in consequence he entered King's Col- 
lege, New York, afterwards Columbia. The serious 
call of the Colonies to arms came to him while thus 
engaged, and throwing aside his books, he responded 
to it, joined a company of artillery, and though not 
yet twenty, became its captain. 

Just about this time Shepard Kollock landed 
from St. Croix, and joined the same company, thus 



76 Bottle Hill and Madison 

finding himself unexpectedly under the command of 
his brilliant young friend of the St. Croix printing 
office. The company, under the command of Hamil- 
ton, performed gallant service during the campaign 
of 1776, including the Battle of Long Island, the 
contests and maneuvers in the northern part of Man- 
hattan Island, and the retreat through New Jersey, 
with the subsequent victories of Trenton and Prince- 
ton. During all this arduous service the young cap- 
tain was under the eye of Washington, whose atten- 
tion was attracted, and admiration awakened, by his 
gallantry and ability. The army, in the meantime, 
came to Bottle Hill, and the Commander-in-Chief 
occupied the old Arnold Tavern in Morristown. On 
March 1, 1777, he appointed Hamilton an Aid-de- 
camp with the rank of Colonel, and detailed him at 
once to the duties of Military Secretary of the Gen- 
eral. From that time forward throughout the war, 
the period when the constitution was framed, and 
the administration of the first president, Hamilton 
was more than any other man the confidential friend 
and adviser of Washington. He wrote his letters 
from dictation and shared with his Chief the secrets 
of army and state. He was often consulted as to 
the language and form of the General's proclama- 
tions and other documents, and he wrote the im- 
mortal farewell address from the notes and ideas of 
its author. Of a temper congenial, and of political 
views and personal tastes marvellously harmonious, 
he was perhaps the one man who stands nearest to 
the Father of his Country in the list of Revolution- 
ary worthies. 



The New Jersey Journal 77 

In February, 1779, Shepard Kollock began the 
publication of the New Jersey Journal in Chatham. 
This was evidently not so much for a profit, as to 
afford to the people of Northern New Jersey a news- 
paper loyal to the cause of the colonies. Those jour- 
nals which the people had access to were mainly 
New York papers, which owing to the British 
occupation of the city, were of course confined to Tory 
sentiments and interests. General Henry Knox was 
thought to be the originator of the project, but it is 
now contended that Hamilton was the real projector, 
and that it was through him that Kollock took hold 
of it. The first issue bore date of February 16, 1779, 
(see frontispiece) and was a four page sheet four- 
teen and a half by ten inches. The paper continued 
to be published at Chatham until the close of the war, 
when it was removed, at first to New Brunswick and 
finally to Elizabethtown, where it continues to this 
day. It is a daily and the leading paper of the City 
of Elizabeth and County of Union. 

Shepard Kollock commenced the printing of his 
paper in the old tavern which stood, until a few 
years ago, just east of the Passaic River in Chatham, 
near the residence of the late R. H. Allen. In 1855 
this tavern was kept by Samuel Condit, who had 
occupied it for many years. He said that the evi- 
dences of the printing ofRce were still visible, and 
that he was continually finding type in the garden 
at the west end of the house. One or two rooms in this 
building Mr. Kollock continued to use until late in 
the war, when he looked for a more convenient struc- 
ture, which he found in Bottle Hill. Mr. Bradford's 



78 Bottle Hill and Madison 

schoolhouse was just then for sale. It stood on the 
site of the old Madison Railway Station, and it was 
forthwith bought and removed to Chatham, where 
it was placed nearly opposite to the site of the old 
Presbyterian Church. This building was standing 
in 1855, when it was fully identified as the Kollock 
printing ofRce. 

After the war Mr. Kollock sold the building to 
Major Thomas Morrell of the Continental Army, 
who occupied it as a dwelling. Major Morrell after- 
wards became a noted Methodist travelling preacher, 
and was recognized as one of the fathers of Method- 
ism in New Jersey. He for a long time preached in 
Elizabethtown. Soon after taking up his residence 
in the old printing office, the first Methodist Episco- 
pal service ever held in this township took place in it, 
the ministers officiating being Messrs. Haggerty and 
Lynch. Mr. Morrell died in Elizabethtown in 1838, 
aged 91. 

Shepard Kollock had a printing office on the 
corner of Wall and Water Streets, New York. Here 
he printed the first directory of the City of New 
York in 1786. The directory was prepared by David 
Franks, a lawyer. It contains eighty-two pages and 
nine hundred and twenty-six names. A copy is 
treasured by the New York Historical Society. 

Mr. Kollock was the father of Rev. Henry Kol- 
lock, D. D., pastor of the First Church of Elizabeth- 
town, and afterwards of Savannah, Georgia; and 
his daughter, Henrietta, was the wife of Rev. John 
McDowell, D. D., for many years the pastor of the 
First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethtown. 



The New Jersey Journal 79 

The following inscription is from a grave in the 
churchyard at Elizabeth : 

"In memory of Shepard Kollock, Esq., an officer 
of the Revolution, who, after having aided in the 
establishment of the liberty of his country, and for 
many years filled with usefulness various civil sta- 
tions, died in the full assurance of a glorious resur- 
rection and blessed immortality, July 28, 1839, aged 
88 years." 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE ROAD TO YORKTOWN 

In the summer of 1781, the British Army invad- 
ing Virginia under Lord Cornwallis was met by the 
American troops under Gen. Lafayette in the neigh- 
borhood of Yorktown. The campaign advanced to 
a critical point where any additional force upon 
either side would probably have a decisive effect, and 
produce results likely to be far-reaching and per- 
manent. Sir Henry Clinton, the English commander 
with his main army, occupied New York, while 
Washington with the Continental Army, and 
Rochambeau and the French forces, were encamped 
in the neighborhood of the Highlands on the Hudson. 
Washington, perceiving the serious nature of the 
crisis and the opportunity it afforded for a decisive 
stroke, conferred with Rochambeau in a farmhouse 
which is still standing near White Plains, and with 
him devised the plan of operations. His design was 
to so occupy and alarm Sir Henry Clinton with the 
preparations for an attack in force upon New York, 
as to effectually prevent the sending of troops to the 
aid of Cornwallis, while under cover of these move- 
ments the main force of the allies was to march to 
Virginia, and forming a junction with Lafayette, 
crush the enemy before re-enforcements could arrive. 
This plan was successfully carried out, and resulted 
in the capture of the entire British Army in Virginia 
on the 19th of October, 1781. The speedy termin- 
ation of the war followed, and the acknowledgment 



The Road to Yorktown 83 

of American independence by Great Britain. 

The working out of this plan, however, involved 
some details which will ever be of peculiar interest 
to the people of the twin boroughs of Madison and 
Chatham. As soon as it was adopted a large force 
of both French and American troops marched on the 
19th of August, 1781, from Newburgh by way of 
Pompton, Whippany and Columbia (now Florham 
Park), through Bottle Hill and Chatham, and pitched 
their quarters in the meadow opposite the site of the 
residence of the late R. H. Allen, east of the Passaic. 
Here they made preparation for a still larger force. 
In the words of Rev. Samuel Lawrence Tuttle, whose 
manuscript is here quoted : 

"After setting their tents they threw up a shed 
of nearly four rods in length, running parallel with 
the road and a little back from it, and in this shed 
they constructed a large number of ovens, and made 
other arrangements, creating the impression upon 
the community that not only these regiments but 
possibly the whole army were to be quartered here. 
Mr. Azariah Carter remembers seeing the troops 
come through this place, and he and Mr. Ichabod 
Bruen, Captain Luke Carter, and others have stated 
to me that they have a distinct recollection of the 
impression that was upon every mind in this region 
that the whole army was to be permanently quart- 
ered on that ground." 

The expectation of an attack upon Staten Island, 
where important British posts were located, and the 
City of New York, which then generally prevailed 
in the army and the community, was soon shared by 



84 Bottle Hill and Madison 

the British commander, who began vigorous prepar- 
ations for defense and concentrated his forces to 
repel an attack from this direction. 

It was just at this juncture that the troops in 
Chatham were ordered to march. Quoting again 
from Mr. Tuttle, ''Aged people in this vicinity say 
that at the commencement of the night on which the 
troops left, the entire camp appeared as it had done 
before, but at the dawn of the following day, they 
had all mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind 
them nothing but the long shed filled with ovens, 
while no one knew what their designs were, or which 
wsij they were going. These ovens, I have been in- 
formed by Mr. Enos Bonnell, an aged man who was 
born and is still living (1855) within a few rods 
of the spot, were standing and were the subject of 
remark for several years after the war, he himself 
having often seen them." When the troops fell in 
line for the march that night, they were surprised 
to find their faces toward Bottle Hill instead of New 
York, and when they reached the corner at Union 
Hill, where now stands the residence formerly occu- 
pied by the late Mrs. George G. Ebling, they were 
guided to the left up the winding road by the home- 
stead recently occupied by the late William J. Carter, 
then belonging to his grandfather, Aaron Carter, 
and the ancient house, recently owned by Mr. Sea- 
man, by way of Woodland Road and Garfield 
Avenue, as they are now called, to Green Village. 
The march was continued to New Vernon, Basking 
Ridge and Pluckamin, and the officers and soldiers 
were totallv in the dark as to their destination until 



The Road to Yorktown 89 

they were well on toward Philadelphia, when it 
suddenly dawned upon all that they were bound for 
Virginia. As they passed through Philadelphia, the 
city went wild with enthusiasm, for the true meaning 
and importance of the movement was clearly under- 
stood as soon as the destination was perceived. 

The association which Bottle Hill and its vicin- 
ity have with these events ought to be remembered 
and cherished by the people. A fitting name for the 
easterly part of High Street and Garfield Avenue 
would be "Yorktown Road." At all events the fact 
should be remembered, which hallow the old winding 
road by which our fathers marched to Yorktown 
and victory. 



CHAPTER XVII 

'THE OLD SOW" 

From the beginning of the War of Independence, 
the Colonists relied mainly for their supplies of can- 
non, powder, shot and shells, upon the foundries and 
powder mills in the vicinity of Morristown. The 
appreciation of this fact resulted in a general solici- 
tude lest these works should fall into the hands of 
the enemy, and the colonies, in consequence, be de- 
prived of the necessary material for fighting. Meas- 
ures were adopted for their defense, and the farmers 
throughout this region were armed and prepared for 
instant service. They were designated "Minute 
Men," as they were to serve at a minute's notice. 
Every farmer was thus enrolled with his grown-up 
sons. The whole district was intensely loyal to the 
Cause of Independence, and these men were enthusi- 
astic in their determination to defend, not only their 
firesides, but the important treasures which were 
so necessary to the patriotic cause. 

In order, however, to call out these Minute Men 
when their services were needed, it became a matter 
of great importance to provide some signal which 
should be adequate for that purpose. It had to be, 
necessarily, within observation of the region east- 
ward of Newark, Elizabethtown Point, Sandy Hook 
and New York, and within range of other signal 
stations which were nearer these places. To meet 
these requirements, the spot on the summit of the 
Short Hills was chosen, which was commemorated 



'The Old Sow" 93 

by the ''Old Sow Monument." Here was placed an 
alarm gun and by its side a lofty pole surmounted 
by a tar barrel, the lighting of which by night would 
display a signal easily seen for many miles in the 
interior. The cannon, an eighteen-pounder, soon 
became an object of curiosity and terror to the whole 
region, and was called by the people "The Old Sow," 
— a term which, though homely, was expressive, and 
has become historical. A guard of soldiers was in 
charge, and constantly on the watch for indications 
of attack. Other hilltops to the eastward were also 
used as stations for observation and alarm signals, 
which could be seen and responded to by gun and 
beacon. 

When Washington located his army in Loan- 
taka Valley in 1777, the Short Hills station had a 
greatly added importance, for it became the signal 
point for the army as well as for the Minute Men. 
It had been admirably located for both purposes. 
Indeed it is the only spot on the whole mountain 
which would have served. A little change to the 
north would have hidden New York and Newark 
behind the jutting end of Orange Mountain, at Mill- 
burn; and a little change to the south would have 
prevented the beacon from being seen at the camps 
at Bottle Hill and Morristown by reason of the pro- 
jecting end of Long Hill, near Chatham. This loca- 
tion, however, commanded an unobstructed range 
of every point of importance, both east and west. 

When Gen. Kuyphausen, at the head of a force 
of British and Hessians, made a determined effort 
to dislodge the "rebels" from their nest in the hills, 



94 



Bottle Hill and Madlson 



and destroy the mills about Morristown, the signal 
gun did its best work. On the morning of June 23, 
1780, its hoarse summons was heard far and wide 
and the farmers were soon swarming down the roads 
and over the hills toward Springfield. They were 
of true American stuff, which can die but cannot run. 
Placing themselves in little squads in the woods and 
thickets they poured a deadly fire into the enemy's 
ranks, and with the troops, under Gen. Greene, soon 
drove them from the field. Gen. Kuyphausen in his 
report giving the reasons for his retreat, called it 




"CROWN PRINCE" CANNON 



"a hornet's nest," and said that his troops could not 
cope with enemies in all directions at once, whose 
fire was that of the deadly sharp shooter in its effect. 
Four American soldiers, severely wounded, were 
carried to the barn at the old tavern just east of the 



'The Old Sow'' 97 

Passaic River, which was standing less than thirty 
years ago. The soldiers died there and were buried 
on the road from the tavern to New Providence, at 
a spot very near the mill dam. A number of pris- 
oners were taken, some of whom passed the night in 
Bottle Hill in the tavern which stood next to the site 
of the late Messrs. Paulmier's store. 

President Ashbel Green of Princeton College, 
many years afterward, gave many details of his 
experience during these days, in a series of letters 
to his son. In one of these letters are found refer- 
ences to localities which alone would be sufficient 
to identify the site of the ''Old Sow." 

In 1855, the author of this work, then a boy of 
twelve, accompanied his father, the Rev. Samuel 
Lawrence Tuttle, in a drive to the top of the hill 
in search of the site of the signal station. Col. 
Brittin gave to Mr. Tuttle, as he started, minute 
directions as to how the place was to be reached. 
Arriving at Dr. Hobart's residence, we turned 
up the steep mountain road, the remains of which 
are still to be seen. At the summit of the hill, 
an old house was reached which has since dis- 
appeared, and we soon found there an old man 
over eighty-five years of age, who proved to be 
Richard Swain. In answer to Mr. Tuttle's inquiries, 
Mr. Swain stated that he knew all about the signal 
station, having lived all his life in this locality, and 
having been a boy here during the Revolution. He 
led the way to the top of a knoll and pointed out the 
circular indentation in the rocky ground, which was 
caused by the decay of the old flag staff. The mark 



98 Bottle Hill and Madison 

thus seen and identified continued to be distinct and 
unmistakable for more than forty years thereafter, 
until the foundation of the recent ''Old Sow Monu- 
ment" was laid upon it in 1896. When the exercises 
occurred in that year, dedicating the monument, 
Mr. William Jackson Brittin was present, and gave 
his unqualified approval to the enumeration of the 
facts of identification, as above, in the address of 
dedication, which was made by the author. 

The monument erected as above stated in 1896 
has since been removed, and a tablet has been put in 
place of it to mark the location of the signal gun. 
This is on the front lawn of Mr. Henry B. Twombly's 
home, on Hobart Avenue, Summit. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

OLD SCHOOL HOUSE AT UNION HILL 

A small, red school house stood for a great 
many years on the corner of Kings Road and Divis- 
ion Avenue, opposite the residence of the late Mrs. 
Ebling, originally the home of Ichabod Bruen. 

Mrs. Vashti B. Foote, now ninety-eight years 
old, remembers the little, red school house very dis- 
tinctly and says that it was an old building when she 
was a little girl and attended school there in the 
morning and sewing school in the afternoon. 

It is quite probable that this ancient building 
was standing when the troops passed by on their way 
to Yorktown in 1781. 

The following quotation is from the pen of Mr. 
Fred B. Bardon : 

''One of our townsmen, in describing the first 
school house at Union Hill, said it was about 18x30 
feet, one story high, single door in front, and large 
stone chimney with huge fire place in the other end. 
About 1846 or 1847 that end was taken out and a 
modern brick chimney was built, and two windows 
were put in that end. 

''Then a stove was added, known as the old ten- 
plate, and it looked like a small steam engine. 

"In 1863, the old building was moved to the 
southwest corner of Prospect Street and Hillside 
Avenue, Madison." 



102 Bottle Hill and Madison 

Followins: is a list of teachers from 1843 to 



1863 



Miss Hannah Bower 

Miss Marietta Tuttle 

Mr. John Condit 

Dr. Forges 

Mr. James K. Magie 

Miss Sarah A. Carter 

Mr. Parsons 

Mr. Charles Sayre 

Mr. Ashbel Wright 

Mr. Henry Smith 

Miss Anna E. Thompson 

Mr. Stephen H. Ward 

Miss Joanna Butler Thompson 

Mr. Van Cleve 

Mr. Francis Smith 

Mr. Richard Robinson 

Mr. Wilbur F. Morrow 



n 
> 

> 

:i "^ tS 




O 02 

l-ts 

o oZ 

r 
> 




CHAPTER XIX 

REVOLUTIONARY CANNON AT WASH- 
INGTON'S HEADQUARTERS 

In the year 1818, thirty-eight years after the 
battle of Springfield, Col. William Brittin of Bottle 
Hill, who at that time commanded one of the Morris 
County militia regiments, took the large gun which 
had remained upon the spot from the close of the 
war, and carried it to his residence. This gun which 
bears the name of the ''Crown Prince" had been cap- 
tured at the Battle of Springfield, and for some 
reason put in place of the ''Old Sow." The cannon 
remained in the possession of Col. Brittin and his 
son, William Jackson Brittin, until 1890. It was 
then presented by Mr. Brittin to the Washington 
Association, and it is now upon the ground of the 
Headquarters in Morristown. The whereabouts of 
the "Old Sow" itself are unknown, although they 
may yet be discovered. 

By the side of the "Crown Prince" Cannon at 
Washington's Headquarters, stands another Revolu- 
tionary gun, known as "Old Nat." It is so called 
from Captain Nathaniel Camp of Newark, who used 
it effectively with his company during the war. It 
was sent to him by Gen. Washington for this special 
purpose. During nearly a hundred years thereafter, 
it was a favorite for Fourth of July salutes in the 
City of Newark. Many years ago it was given by 
the City to the Washington Association, the presenta- 
tion speech being made by Mr. Bruen H. Camp, 
grandson of the gallant Captain. 



CHAPTER XX 

KEMBLE MOUNTAIN 

As far as can be ascertained, Kemble Mountain 
and Mt. Kemble Avenue were named after Peter 
Kemble, an old resident of this section of the country. 
In modern times the local histories have called it 
Kimball, but this is undoubtedly a corruption of 
Kemble. 

In the stone wall, in front of the residence of 
Charles W. McAlpin on Mt. Kemble Avenue and 
Hoyt's Corners, a tablet may be seen with the follow- 
ing inscription : 

In Memory of 

Peter Kemble, 1701,— 1789 

President of the 

Royal Council of New Jersey. 

He lived, died and was 

buried within these grounds. 

Erected MCMXI 
by the New Jersey Society 
of the Colonial Dames of 
America. 
In the winter of 1779-80, Washington's Army, 
comprising some twenty thousand men, was quar- 
tered in the forest about three miles south of Morris- 
town on the land owned and occupied by Captain 
Henry Wick. It was reached then, as it is now, by 
following Mt. Kemble Ave. from Morristown toward 
Basking Ridge and turning to the right at "Hoyt's 
Corners." Ascending the hill, the Wick Home- 
stead, still in good preservation, is reached at the 
top, and marks nearly the center of the encamp- 



Kemble Mountain 109 

ment which covered a mile or more in extent. The 
New Jersey Line was located on the slope on the 
southerly side of the road opposite the Mansion, 
the Maryland and Virginia troops on the same 
slope a little further to the east, the New Eng- 
land regiments to the north, and the Pennsylvania 
men along the Hoyts Corner road. The men erected 
log cabins with large stone chimneys and fireplaces, 
the locations of which are still marked by the heaps 
of stones remaining. As many as three or four hun- 
dred of these ruined heaps were counted in 1855 by 
two observers who did not cover more than half of 
the space occupied by the encampment. The Army 
reached the camp about the middle of December, 
1779, coming in two detachments, one from the Hud- 
son Highlands by way of Pompton and Whippany, 
and the other from the direction of Staten Island 
by way of Springfield and Bottle Hill. Both passed 
before the Ford Mansion, which General Washing- 
ton had occupied as his Headquarters. Some of the 
prominent officers were quartered in the neighboring 
villages. General Anthony Wayne occupying the 
Sayre Mansion in Bottle Hill and Colonels Ogden and 
Barbour living in houses located in the same place. 
A steep eminence, which the way of approach 
winds around, on the way from ''Hoyts Corner," 
was fortified with a battery, and a lookout placed on 
the summit, from which signals could readily be ex- 
changed with the Short Hills Station which was 
in full view, there insuring the quick reception of 
alarms or summons from the east. The remains of 
the fortification are still visible. 



110 Bottle Hill and Madison 

The burying ground used for the Army dead 
was located about a mile to the north, and for more 
than eighty years was undisturbed, being recognized 
as a sacred spot, sanctified by the patriotic sacrifices 
of so many noble men. 

Henry Wick, on whose farm the Revolutionary 
Army encamped, was at one time Captain of a 
Morris County Company of Cavalry which did good 
service during the war. He was frequently detailed 
as guard of Governor Livingston and of the Privy 
Council. At one time near Camptown, a member 
of the Provincial Congress, Caleb Camp, was sur- 
prised by a party of British infantry while in his 
own house, and as he was attempting an escape, 
Captain Wick's Company charged in and put the 
enemy to flight, though they were in superior num- 
bers. 

The encampment was occupied for nearly seven 
months at this time, part of the Army remaining 
until the June following. The next Winter, that of 
1780-81, the troops of the Pennsylvania line were 
quartered on the same ground and the famous 
mutiny of a large portion of that body occurred here 
at that time. Gen. Wayne hastening from his Head- 
quarters at Bottle Hill endeavored to intercept and 
intimidate them, but in vain, and they forthwith 
returned to their Pennsylvania homes. 

It was during this mutiny that the soldiers tried 
to seize and appropriate the horse of Tempe Wick, 
the daughter of Captain Wick. She was returning 
home a little distance from the house toward Mend- 
ham, when two soldiers came out and grasping the 



o 
a, 
m 

> 

CO 




Kemble Mountain 113 

reins demanded that she dismount. She said joking- 
ly, ''Oh! You will surely let me ride home first!" 
and they dropped their hold in compliance, when 
touching the spirited animal with her whip, he 
sprang up the hill, into the gate and around the cor- 
ner of the house. Quickly dismounting, she led him 
into the back door, through the kitchen and parlor, 
and into a little back bedroom, where he was kept in 
hiding for several days. The men hurried up on foot, 
passed on to the barn, and looked in vain for the 
horse, which was thus saved to his young owner by 
her spirited action. 

After the close of the war, Tempe Wick, the 
heroine of the above tale, married Captain William. 
Tuttle, a young officer of the New Jersey troops. 
Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle, who was his grand-nephew, 
accompanied the Captain in a walk over the site of 
the encampment, and the narration of the above facts, 
and the locations given of the various divisions, are 
according to statements made by him at the time. 



CHAPTER XXI 

THE OLD HANOVER PARSONAGE 

This old house still stands, although it has been 
so renovated in recent years that it is not easily 
recognized. The picture was taken in 1894, when it 
had stood j^ractically unchanged for one hundred 
and forty years. The venerable house was the home 
of the Rev. Jacob Green, the Hanover pastor, from 
1746 until his death in 1790. Mr. Green was a most 
earnest and able minster, greatly revered and loved 
by his people. 

The place of worship in which Mr. Green offici- 
ated was the old church in Whippany, until the year 
1755, when by the advice of the Presbytery of New 
York, with which that society was at that time con- 
nected, the congregation built two houses of worship, 
one in Parsippany, the other in Hanover Neck, — 
the old edifice in Whippany being entirely given up. 
Mr. Green continued to preach in both churches 
until the Parsippany branch of the congregation in- 
vited the Rev. James Tuttle to become their pastor. 
Mr. Green then confined his labors to Hanover Neck, 
until the time of his death, which occurred about the 
year 1790. 

When the new church was erected in this latter 
place, it is said that Mr. Green was obliged to preach 
for a considerable time from a carpenter's work- 
bench as his pulpit — the congregation being poor, 
and the carpenters not being very sanguine that they 
should ever get their pay for their work. 



00 ?- 

to ?J 




The Old Hanover Parsonage 117 

Mr. Green, at length, getting weary of this 
arrangement, gave notice that on the ensuing Sab- 
bath he would preach on ''The Four Carpenters," 
which he accordingly did, applying his remarks very 
shrewdly to the great deficiency above referred to 
in the sanctuary. The thing was so well done that 
the carpenters at once went to work and put up a 
regular pulpit from which Mr. Green was permitted 
to hold forth the Word of Life until the time of his 
death. He was also one of the most influential ad- 
vocates of the cause of American Liberty and Inde- 
pendence in the colony of New Jersey. His nev/s- 
paper articles as well as his pulpit and other public 
utterances did much to give tone and temper to the 
popular sentiment of this region. He was also one 
of the earliest and most outspoken opponents of the 
system of African slavery, and his influence in this 
direction is recognized as a most powerful aid to the 
abolition of that system in New Jersey in 1846. 

In 1776, Mr. Green was one of flve delegates 
elected by Morris County to the Provincial Congress 
of the Colony. This body prepared and adopted the 
Revolutionary constitution of the State of New Jer- 
sey, which remained in force until the adoption of 
the present constitution in 1844. Mr. Green was 
made chairman of the committee of ten to draft the 
document, and it is generally thought that he was 
the writer of it. 

Mr. Green was a trustee of Princeton College, 
made so by the charter of that institution in 1748, 
and was vice-president for a number of years. For 
eight months during the year 1758-59, he was the 



118 Bottle Hill and Madison 

president pro tern, this being the interim following 
the death of the illustrious Jonathan Edwards, and 
preceding the incumbency of President Samuel 
Davies. His selection for this duty shows the high 
esteem in which he was held, and the successful dis- 
charge of these grave responsibilities proves his great 
capacity and ability. 

Mr. Green was the father of Rev. Ashbel Green, 
afterwards President of Princeton College, and th? 
father-in-law of Rev. Ebenezer Bradford, pastor at 
Bottle Hill. 



CHAPTER XXII 

THE OLD WARD HOUSE, CHATHAM 

This is the old house by the spring on the prop- 
erty of the late Stephen H. Ward, and was built by 
his great-grandfather, Enos Ward, about the time of 
the first settlement of Chatham, say 1740. The doors, 
hinges, windows and other fixtures, are unchanged 
from the Colonial days. The house is a most inter- 
esting relic of the olden time because so few alter- 
ations have been attempted. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

THE TALMADGE HOUSE, CHATHAM 

This house stands opposite the site of the old 
Presbyterian Church in Chatham, and was the home- 
stead of Jacob Morrell, who married a daughter of 
Rev. Azariah Horton of Bottle Hill. Among their 
great-grandchildren are numbered the late Rev. 
Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D., of Brooklyn, Gen. James 
H. Baker of Minnesota, and Rev. Clarence Hills of 
Indiana; and Rev. H. C. Weakley, D. D., of Cincin- 
nati is their great-great-grandson. The house has 
had many alterations, which greatly obscure its 
antique appearance, but some features still remain 
unchanged. It enjoys the distinction of having had 
Gen. Washington as a guest beneath its roof. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

THE WINDEYER HOUSE 

Among the interesting old houses of Bottle Hill 
is the one now owned by the Rev. Henry A. Buttz, 
D. D., standing on Madison Avenue opposite the 
Drew Seminary grounds. It originally stood next to 
the Episcopal Church on the northwest side, and 
was for many years the residence of Rev. Walter 
Windeyer. It was built by David Howell about 1795. 
Mrs. Howell was a grand-daughter of James Burnet, 
one of the original settlers. She received from him 
as a gift the property on which the house was built, 
including the site now occupied by the Seminary 
buildings. The place was afterwards sold to 
Augustus Blanchet, whose family residence it was 
for many years, until purchased and occupied by 
Mr. Windeyer. The picture represents the old house 
as it appeared in 1902, before its removal. 



CHAPTER XXV 

THE FLAVAL WOODRUFF HOUSE 

The house on the southerly corner of Prospect 
Street and Kings Road was built between the close of 
the Revolution and the year 1800. Flavel Woodruff, 
father of the late Mrs. David B. Miller, built it and 
sold it to a Frenchman named Le Pelt, who sold it 
to William Sayre. He in turn sold it to Henry Keep. 
Mr. Keep was an Englishman who was an active 
business man and very influential in church and 
village matters. He had a factory near his house 
where many young women and girls were employed 
in making umbrellas, which were sold in New York, 
where he had a store. For many years Madison had 
but two commuters to the City, and they were Mr. 
Keep and the late Judge Francis S. Lathrop. Mr. 
Keep died in 1874. 



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CHAPTER XXVI 

THE JOHNSON HOUSE 

The house known as the Johnson House, was 
built shortly after the Revolution by a man named 
Coyle. It was bought by Abraham Brittin about the 
year 1800, and was his homestead until 1823, when 
he sold it to Charles Johnson. Its front was upon 
Kings Road and the railroad was cut so close to the 
front door as to make it necessary to build a wall, 
with steps leading from the track. 

The picture represents it as seen from the rear, 
that is, from Main Street. The house was taken 
down when the James Building was erected in 1899. 




THE JOHXSON HOISE 



CHAPTER XXVII 

BOTTLE HILL BETWEEN 1801 AND 1804 

Soon after the Rev. Matthew La Rue Perrine 
settled in Bottle Hill in 1801, as pastor of the Pres- 
byterian Church, the entire village consisted of about 
twenty dwellings and houses, most of which were 
standing on Kings Road and Ridgedale Avenue. 

The following quotation is from Rev. S. L. 
Tuttle's manuscript notes: 

''One of these stood on the property formerly 
owned by Capt. Mallaby (now, 1855, the property 
of Dr. John Albright) opposite the toll-gate; an- 
other, where Deacon Burroughs now lives ; another, 
where Mrs. Chloe Samson resides; another, the old 
Butler house opposite the present residence of 
Charles Marsh, and another at the foot of the hill 
southeast of the Church on the south side of the road. 

''Then came the Church on the crown of the 
hill; and then a small house on the property now 
owned by Mr. Henry Keep; then came the parson- 
age, now occupied by Dr. H. P. Green, opposite our 
village depot; then a small house with a store at- 
tached, on the corner until recently the property of 
Mr. Benjamin Birdsall, but then occupied by Mr. 
Jonathan Richards and Mr. Abraham Brittin; then 
on the opposite side of the road a house where the 
residence of Charles Johnson now stands, but about 
that time occupied by Mr. Abraham Brittin. Then 
came the public house now occupied by Mr. Robert 
Albright; then a small house on the side hill south- 




REV. MATTHEW LA RUE PERRINE, D. D. 

Pastor of Presbyterian Church of Bottle Hill, from 1801 to ISll; 
known, among his parishioners, as "the beloved disciple." 



Bottle Hill Between 1801 and 1804 141 

east of the present Academy, late the residence of 
Mrs. Eliza Cook; then, on the corner diagonally 
opposite a house belonging to the family of Mr. Ellis 
Cook. Then came an old house which stood on the 
site of Geo. E. Sayre's present residence; then the 
homestead of Deacon Ephriam Sayre; and next to 
that the residence of Mr. Jonathan Harris. 

"Further on came the dwelling of Mr. Joseph 
Miller, now occupied by Mr. David C. Miller ; on the 
opposite side of the street where Mr. John B. Miller 
now resides, was an old house which was occupied by 
Deacon Joseph Wood; and a little beyond that was 
the residence of Major Luke Miller, an old black- 
smith shop belonging to Major Miller standing where 
D. C. Miller's shop now stands. 

'The school house, which before had stood on 
the Birdsall corner and then on the site of the resi- 
dence of Rev. Mr. Arms while he was here, stood at 
that time on the corner now occupied by Christian 
Wise; a blacksmith shop stood on the site of the 
present Academy; and an old storehouse occupied 
the site of our present Lecture Room." 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

THE TURNPIKE ROAD THROUGH BOTTLE 
HILL, NOW MAIN STREET, MADISON 

This road was built in 1804. Commencing in 
Chatham at the point opposite the residence of the 
late Stephen H. Ward, it turned from the old Kings 
Road to the right, and for nearly ninety years 
enclosed an acute angle of open ground for several 
rods between it and the old road. In recent years 
this bit of the old road was closed up as far as the 
bridge which now marks the beginning of Kings 
Road. From Mr. Ward's house a straight line was 
followed by the new road to the entrance of the 
Ross property near the Twombly Estate. The line 
crossed the old road opposite the site of James 
Library, and again at the residence of Mrs. John M. 
Young. This road, now Main Street, was completed 
from Elizabethtown to Sussex, December 20, 1804, 
and at that time was thirty-four feet wide, accord- 
ing to contract. 

The road was built by a corporation which col- 
lected tolls for revenue. Toll gates were placed at 
intervals where the fares were collected. One of 
these gates was just below the crossing of Rosedale 
Avenue. The travel was very great, as it soon be- 
came one of the principal highways to the interior. 
Stages were run to various points, some as far as 
Owego. The village tavern presented a gay scene 
on the arrival of the stages accompanied by the 
flourish of horns. This heavy traffic continued until 







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The Turnpike Road 



147 



the construction of the Morris and Essex Railroad 
in 1837. To enable the country people to avoid the 
toll gates and the attendent expense, the side roads 
were improved and connected, and resulted in what 
is still significantly known as the ''Shunpike," a road 
which leads eastward from Hickory Tree to Summit. 




HOMESTEAD OF COL. WILLIAM BRITTIN 

This was the first house built on the turnpike which was opened in 1804. 

Copied from an original photograph through the 

courtesy of H. I. Brittin. 

The first house built upon the new road was 
the Brittin mansion, erected by Colonel William 
Brittin and occupied by him until his death in 1869 
at the age of ninety-one. A picture of this house is 
reproduced herewith. The barns in the rear were 
enlarged in 1825, the timber from the old Bottle Hill 
Meeting House being used in their construction. 



148 



Bottle Hill and Madison 



Another house, among the first built upon the 
new road, was the dwelling erected by the pastor, 
Rev. Matthew LaRue Perrine, which stood next to 
the bridge at the entrance of the cemetery. It after- 
wards became the residence of Mr. V. S. K. Beaup- 
land, and upon the erection of his new mansion on 




HOUSE ON THE CORNER OF PARK AVENUE AND RIDGEDALE AVENUE 
A part of which is the original building occupied by Mr. Ellis Cook 
about 1800. It is of special interest as being the site of the first tavern 
in the village, referred to in Chapter on Bottle Hill. 
It is now the residence of Mr. J. E. Burnet. 

the hill, one-half of it was removed to the northerly 
corner of Prospect Street and Lincoln Place, and the 
other half to Park Avenue, north of the Madison 
Iron Works. 

Another of the very early buildings erected 
upon the new turnpike was the old tavern, which 



The Turnpike Road 153 

after a few years passed into the hands of Colonel 
Stephen D. Hunting, and for many years was known 
as the ''Waverly House." It is now called the "Mad- 
ison House," and is practically unchanged from its 
erection. 

The home of Harris Bruen, was a very old house 
and was situated on the turnpike next to the resi- 
dence of Ashbel Bruen. This building was removed 
many years ago. 

The homestead of Elias Bruen on Kings Road, 
and that of Alexander Bruen on the turnpike, were 
also very old landmarks. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE'S VISIT 
TO BOTTLE HILL 

In the year 1825, General Lafayette visited 
America for the first time after the death of Wash- 
ington. In the course of his trip, he spent a day at 
Morristown, which had been a point of so much in- 
terest to him during the War. On his return the 
next day, July 15, 1825, he was escorted to Newark 
by Colonel William Brittin of the Morris County 
Militia, Colonel Stephen D. Hunting, and other 
prominent citizens. As the cavalcade passed what 
is now Treadwell Avenue, Mr. Vincent Boisaubin, 
whose mansion was close by, stood with his family 
at the entrance, to see his illustrious countryman 
pass. When the General's attention was called to 
the group, he had the carriage stopped and alighted 
to greet them. Turning his back upon the Marquis, 
Mr. Boisaubin refused the salutation, and the pro- 
cession moved on. As a Royalist, Boisaubin counted 
himself an enemy of one who had so long been promi- 
nent as a Republican in France, and whom he par- 
ticularly held responsible for the recapture of the 
King at Varrennes, when the attempt was made for 
flight to the Austrian frontier. 

The Madison House then stood in Bottle Hill 
as it does now, having been changed very little. 
Colonel S. D. Hunting was the proprietor of the 
hotel, and as the party reached the place about 
8 o'clock A. M., they were received by the prominent 



Lafayette's Visit to Bottle Hill 157 

citizens of the village, headed by Rev. James G. Ber- 
gen, Presbyterian pastor, who made an address of 
welcome. The following poem, the composition of 
J. T. Derthick, principal of the public school, was 
then recited by thirteen little girls, representing the 
thirteen original colonies: 

All hail to the hero, Columbia's great friend, 
Whose fame will resound Hill creation shall end; 
Now welcome, thrice welcome, to our happy clime. 
Where virtue is honored and Freedom sublime. 

You sought us when weak and you found us when 
But now we are strong and the conflict is o'er; [poor, 
We tender our homage, extend you our hands. 
And gratitude every bosom expands. 

The loss of our W ashing to7i still we regret. 
But almost behold him in thee, Lafayette, 
And could his good spirit noiv look from the dead, 
The heavens would scarcely retain the blest shade. 

Now fare you well, father, we see you no more, — 
The ocean will bear you away from our shore; 
May fortune attend you across the broad main. 
Until your own daughters embrace you again. 

Of the thirteen little girls who were thus dis- 
tinguished as participants in this interesting cere- 
mony, only one now survives, Mrs. Vashti B. Foote 
of Elizabeth, N. J., who at the age of ninety-eight 
retains the clearest recollection of the event, and was 
recently able to repeat to the author the entire poetic 
address from memory. 



CHAPTER XXX 

THE STORY OF THE BOISAUBIN MANSION 

Mr. Vincent Boisaubin, a descendent of a noble 
French family, was an officer in the Body Guard of 
King Louis XVI of France. During the terrible 
scene at Versailles, the annihilation of the Guard, 
and the capture of the King, Mr. Boisaubin was on 
leave of absence in Guadaloupe, where he had a 
plantation. As a Royalist he was there exposed to 
an attack from insurgents. A ship was at the 
moment lying off the Island, and Mr. Boisaubin, 
fleeing from his pursuers, leaped into a small boat 
and escaped through the surf to the vessel. The only 
follower who then succeeded in joining him was his 
colored valet, who swam out to the ship, and to- 
gether they came to New York, and thence to Bottle 
Hill. Mr. Boisaubin had been compelled to leave 
his large possessions in France and the West Indies, 
and for many years continued to live in Bottle Hill 
in modest retirement. The Emperor Napoleon sub- 
sequently restored to him the possession of the estates 
which had been confiscated. After the Restoration 
in 1815, the King, appreciating Mr. Boisaubin's 
steadfast loyalty to the crown, wrote him an auto- 
graph letter, which is still treasured by the family, 
urging him to return to France and resume his posi- 
tion of prominence at the Court. He, however, had 
been so long in Bottle Hill that he declined to go back, 
and continued to live in the simplicity of his New 
Jersey home. His wife's family were heirs of the 



The Story of the Boisaubin Mansion 161 

castle of Van Schal-Kwyck in Holland, being- of the 
noble family of "Beaupland." 

After coming to Bottle Hill Mr. Boisaubin be- 
came owner of the old house of John Easton, stand- 
ing on the camp ground occupied by the Revolution- 
ary Army in 1777. This home he occupied until he 
built the mansion which was recently the residence 
of A. B. Frost, and which is situated in nearly the 
exact center of the old camp. This house was built 
by the late W. M. Kitchell for Mr. Boisaubin, and 
continued to be Mr. Boisaubin's residence until his 
death. It was sold by his son, Amidee Boisaubin, 
to Alfred M. Treadwell in 1851, and Mr. Treadwell 
occupied it as his residence until his death in 1880. 
Mr. Boisaubin was of a most noble and philan- 
thropic disposition, and was greatly honored and be- 
loved by his neighbors on that account. An anecdote 
illustrating his habit is as follows : 

Passing the house of a poor man not far from 
him one day, he heard that he had lost a cow. Several 
neighbors were saying how sorry they were, when 
Mr. Boisaubin said, ''How sorry are you? I am sorry 
five dollars," and immediately handed out that 
amount toward making good the loss of the cow. 
When he died he was taken to Morristown for burial. 
As the hearse at the head of the procession reached 
town, the people met it, took out the horses, and 
drew it themselves to the place of interment. Every 
store was closed, and the whole place united in pay- 
ing honor to the venerated man. The gentleman who 
witnessed this, and whose report is here reproduced, 
said that it was a wonderful scene, and one never 



162 



Bottle Hill and Madison 



paralleled before in all his experience. 

Mr. Boisaubin had two sons, Amidee, who after- 
wards occupied and disposed of the homestead, and 
Van Schal-Kwyck Beaupland, who went to Holland 
and acquired a large amount of propert}^ from the 
estates of the family, afterwards assuming his 




THE BEAUPLAND MANSION 



mother's ancestral name of Beaupland. He then 
returned to Bottle Hill and purchased the residence 
of the former pastor of the Presbyterian church, 
Rev. James G. Bergen. He subsequently built the 
mansion occupied by his children until their death, 
and well known to the people of Madison as the 
''Beaupland Place." 



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CHAPTER XXXI 

THE MADISON ACADEMY 

The first schoolhouse erected in Bottle Hill was 
situated on the corner of Green Village Road and 
Kings Road, and the second was on Ridgedale Avenue 
nearly opposite the site of the old Catholic Church. 
Afterwards another schoolhouse was built at the 
junction of Park Avenue and Elm Street. 

In 1808, the people became desirous of better 
school accommodations, and a stock company was 
formed for the erection of a building. The original 
stockholders were Major Luke Miller, John B. Miller, 
Archibald Sayre, Abraham Brittin, William Brittin, 
Matthias L. Burnet, Stephen D. Hunting and William 
Sayre. This company built the Academy on a lot 
donated for the purpose by James Burnet, occupying 
the northerly corner of Park and Ridgedale Avenues, 
fronting the former. 

The brick edifice thus erected was completed in 
1809, and the people were justly proud of it, as it 
was really an elaborate and costly building for that 
period. They felt that a school district possessing 
such a house should have a name of corresponding 
dignity, and as the fourth President of the United 
States, just elected, was exceedingly popular and 
much beloved throughout the Union, it was resolved 
to adopt his name as its designation. It was there- 
fore called 'The Madison School District," and the 
new building was named ''The Madison Academy." 
A marble slab, bearing the name cut upon it, was 



166 Bottle Hill and Madison 

built into the southeasterly side wall just below the 
eaves. This marble block can be seen in the picture 
between the windows on the side of the building. 
It still exists and is preserved in the Central Avenue 
school house. It should be guarded and displayed in 
some public place as one of the most interesting of 
the mementos of the old village of Bottle Hill. 

During the seventy-two years in which the old 
building was used as the district school house — from 
1809 to 1881 — there were fifty-two teachers who 
there conducted the school, comprising twenty- 
five ladies, seven ministers, six doctors and four- 
teen laymen. Among these were many eminent 
names of persons afterwards widely known. Dr. 
Henry Prentice Green, the well known and be- 
loved physician of after times in Madison, first came 
here as a teacher, and Dr. William Perrine, a leading 
Brooklyn physician, and a relative of the Bottle Hill 
pastor of that name, also began his career as a 
teacher in this school. Among the ministers may be 
mentioned Rev. Nathaniel P. Pierce, afterwards of 
South Brooklyn, and Rev. Dr. Henry C. Fish, subse- 
quently pastor of the First Baptist Church, of New- 
ark, N. J. Rev. George N. Packard, who became a 
Methodist Clergyman of prominence in western New 
York, was the teacher for a number of years, 1853- 
1856. Mr. and Mrs. D. S. Evans taught for a longer 
time than any of the others, completing some thir- 
teen years of service, while Mr. Wilbur F. Morrow 
was the last principal who, with his assistants, had 
charge of the old building. 



The Madison Academy 



167 



During a large part of this time, the old Acad- 
emy was used for public meetings, and especially 
for the Presbyterian Tuesday Evening Prayer Meet- 
ing, which was usually held there, until the Lecture 
Room, afterwards used as the Borough Office, was 
built in 1851. The Sunday School also used it in 









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Tablet in the side wall of the Academy with the following inscription: 

THE 
MADISON 
ACADEMY 

180 9 

The tablet is now framed and preserved in the Central Avenue 

High School. 

those days. As a schoolhouse, it is remembered and 
reverenced by a large number of the citizens of Madi- 
son who there received their first training. The 
ringing of its bell was a daily feature of the entire 
school year which marked the place, and on the night 
before the Fourth of July became the delight of the 



168 Bottle Hill and Madison 

boys, who always rang it about midnight and did 
not suffer it to cease till long after daylight. It was 
cast by Ephraim Force of Water Street, New York, 
an uncle of the late Charles C. Force of Madison. 

After the removal of the school to its present 
location on Green Avenue, the old building was used 
by the A. M. E. Church ; but on the first of December, 
1886, it was discovered to be in flames, and notwith- 
standing every effort to save the venerable building, 
it was totally destroyed. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

THE FIRST SABBATH SCHOOL IN 
BOTTLE HILL 

In the latter part of the year 1816 or the first 
part of 1817, the first Sabbath School in Bottle Hill 
was organized in the Presbyterian Church. The fol- 
lowing description of the growth and development 
of the Sabbath School is taken from Rev. S. L. Tuttle's 
history of 1855 : 

"In the early periods of the Churches history, 
the religious education of the rising generation was 
chiefly of a domestic character. It was quite com- 
mon for the pastors of churches to visit the common 
schools in the respective neighborhoods, and to cate- 
chise the children as often as practicable from the 
Catechism of the Westminster Assembly. 

"Parents however, took the principal direction 
of this important matter. 

"The Shorter Catechism was placed in the hands 
of the children, and on each returning Sabbath, a 
season was set apart for the recitation of that invalu- 
able formulary of Christian Doctrine. The Scrip- 
tures were likewise read and devotional hymns com- 
mitted and sung; and in this way, in those families 
whose heads were professors of religion, the young 
were at that time 'trained up in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord.' 

"And this continued to be the case within the 
limits of the congregation until the year 1817, when 
the first Sabbath School was instituted in this place. 



170 Bottle Hill and Madison 

The leading agent in the formation of the Sabbath 
School was Mr. William Thompson, at that time an 
elder in this church, but now (1855) a resident in 
the village of Jersey, Licking County, Ohio. 

''A considerable part of this is likewise to be 
traced to the influence of the pastor, the Rev. Mr. 
Bergen, who endeavored in various ways, as I have 
been informed, to interest the youth in the matter 
of religious education. 

''Mr. Thompson especially had become deeply 
interested in Sabbath Schools from the perusal of 
a tract on that subject which had in some way fallen 
into his hands; and in order to awaken a similar 
interest in the minds of others, he read the tract in 
the prayer meeting, which was at that time held on 
Sabbath afternoons, in the upper room of the Acad- 
emy. 

''This had the desired effect. The subject was 
talked about for a week or two, — it was backed up 
by the earnest support of the Pastor — and at length 
Mr. Thompson ventured to say to some of his friends, 
that if they would unite with him, they would at once 
make the effort to establish a Sabbath School here. 

"Persons were not wanting to embark upon the 
new method of instructing the young, although there 
were some who opposed the project ; while there were 
many others who pronounced it 'a new-fangled 
notion' that would be of but short continuance, and 
for this reason they stood off and looked on to see 
how the experiment would result. 

"The School went, however, immediately into 
operation. Mr. Thompson was appointed the first 






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The First Sabbath School 173 

Superintendent; and the following, Misses Amelia 
Bruen, Julia Thompson, Lucinda Bruen, Priscilla 
Sayre, Lyllis Cook and Nancy Cook, were appointed 
the first teachers. 

''At first the Sabbath School was kept open only 
during the summer months, simply for the reason 
that it was supposed to be a thing utterly imprac- 
ticable to maintain it during the winter. In the 
year 1834, however, the experiment was tried of 
keeping it up during the months of winter. 

''The first Sabbath after this was determined 
upon, a very severe snow storm set in; and rather 
than have the project thus suddenly brought to an 
end, he got up his sled and horses and drove around 
the village and brought together both teachers and 
pupils to the Academy. This operated like a charm ; 
and when the people found that they all survived 
this first essay at winter Sabbath School here, they 
all fell in and helped it forward ; and the consequence 
has been that from that time to this the Sabbath 
School has been kept up here without intermission 
throughout the year. 

"The School was kept for nearly eighteen years 
in the upper room of the Academy, where it was first 
opened; and at one time over a hundred scholars 
regularly met for religious instruction in that place; 
and it was not until about the year 1840 that it was 
removed to the gallery of the Presbyterian Church, 
where it has since been kept." (1855.) 



EARLY POST OFFICES IN BOTTLE HILL 
AND MADISON 

CHAPTER XXXIII 

The first Post Office in Bottle Hill, which the 
oldest inhabitants can recall, was situated in the 



^;^^^j^:-- 




SITE OF THE FIRST POST OFFICE IN BOTTLE HILL IN THE 
HOME OF MATTHIAS L. BURNET 
The picture shows the house as it appeared before it was removed 
to Central Avenue, to make way for the new building where Gee's 
Drug Store and J. E. Burnet's Hardware Store now stand. The picture 
is the original house of Matthias Burnet with additions, and is repro- 
duced here through the courtesy of H. I. Brittin. 

home of Matthias L. Burnet, who was also post- 
master. Mrs. Vashti B. Foote, who is now living in 
Elizabeth, N. J., at the age of ninety-eight, and who 



Early Post Offices 175 

was born in Bottle Hill in 1818, identifies this build- 
ing as the site of the first postoffice that she can 
remember. 

This building stood on Main Street on the site 
of the present stores of J. E. Burnet and Anderson 
B. Gee. 

The location of the Post Office was changed 
many times: first to the store of Geo. T. Sayre, 
now the site of the Y, M. C. A. Building; then in 
1855, Rev. S. L. Tuttle mentions the fact that it was 
situated on the corner of Main Street and Prospect 
Street, in the store of Wm. H. Sayre, Jr. 

Later it was again removed to C. C. Schenck's 
store on Main Street, where the First National Bank 
Building now stands. This was probably the loca- 
tion of the Post Office in 1860. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

THE NEW CHURCH OF 1825 

The building of the present Presbyterian 
Church was determined upon and the site selected 
on the 4th of February, 1823. The Building Com- 
mittee placed in charge was composed of William 
Brittin, John Sturgis, Archibald Sayre, Luke Miller, 
Lewis Carter, John Roberts and Ichabod Bruen. 
The foundations were laid in the spring of 1824, the 
corner stone being put in place May 18, 1824. The 
dimensions of the church are fifty-five feet by 
seventy-five. A part of the bricks used in the con- 
struction of the church were made on the property 
of Col. William Brittin in the rear of his residence 
where now is Cook Avenue, and where the excava- 
tion thus made was seen more than forty years later, 
and was well known among the young people as the 
''brick kiln pond," a favorite place for skating. The 
carpenters and masons were members of the com- 
mittee and congregation, and the work was prose- 
cuted by all the people, often with the aid of a "frolic" 
as it was called, attended with a supper gotten up 
by the ladies. 

The timber used in the edifice was of the very 
best quality. In order to obtain it the committee 
were authorized to explore the entire wood and 
timber territory of the congregation, and wherever 
they could find what they wanted, to take it. The 
timber in the roof and ceiling is of the most sound 



The New Church of 1825 



177 



and substantial character, and it has been framed 
together in the most scientific and durable manner 
possible. 

In this way, did the work go forward, until 



?^«.^ 
'^V^ 

;-.>.^- 






.^^^^^^ 




-^f 



\EW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

1857 

Rev. S. L. Tuttle, Pastor. 



its completion and dedication on May 18, 1825, just 
a year from the laying of the corner stone. Rev. 
John G. Bergen was the pastor of the church at this 



178 Bottle Hill and Madison 

time. The bell was purchased of Ephraim Force of 
New York City. It weighs about seven hundred 
pounds and cost about six hundred and fifty-five 
dollars. It was lifted to its place in April, 1825. 
A memorial board was placed under the pulpit on 
which interesting facts concerning the church were 
recorded, partly with red chalk and partly with ink. 
The following paragraph is an extract copied from 
one side of the board : 

^'Bottle Hill, March 8th, 1825. 

'The corner stone of this temple was laid 18th 
of May, A. D. 1824 — and we now contemplate, if 
God who has graciously prospered us will, to dedicate 
it in May of the present year, all finished except the 
steeple, the bell is here." 

The cost of the church was about twelve thou- 
sand dollars. It is noteworthy that in 1826, the plot 
of ground formerly occupied by the Old Meeting 
House in the cemetery was set up at auction and sold 
to the highest bidders for burying lots, the proceeds 
of the sale to go towards the liquidation of the debt 
of the parish incurred by building the new church, 
which at that time was about seven hundred dollars. 

During the year of 1827, a fence was built 
around the new sanctuary, Mr. Benjamin Douglass 
having been appointed to collect the necessary funds 
for executing the work. 

During the winter of 1833, while Rev. Clifford 
S. Arms was pastor of the Church, a revival occurred 
which greatly helped the spiritual life of the com- 
munity. 

*'One of the most marked effects of this work of 



The New Church of 1825 181 

grace was to be seen in its influence upon the temper- 
ance reform. 

'Two of the distilleries put out their fires, sev- 
eral of the stores refused to sell intoxicating liquors, 
and one hotel closed its bar and emptied its liquor 
casks into the street. 

'*As a consequence, a very great change was seen 
throughout the entire community in this particular. 

"In the year 1842, a number of gentlemen be- 
longing to this parish, united together and purchased 
the organ that is now (1855) standing in our sanc- 
tuary. This instrument was constructed by Messrs. 
Charles and Davis Marsh of Union Hill in this town- 
ship, and cost the sum of four hundred dollars." — 
Quoted from Rev. S. L. Tuttle. 

It was also in the year 1817 that the name of 
the congregation was changed by an act of the legis- 
lature from the 'Tresbyterian Church of South Han- 
over," which it had borne for about seventy years, 
to the "First Presbyterian Church of the Township 
of Chatham." It was thus designated for nearly 
thirty years following, until January, 1846, when it 
was again changed by the Legislature, to the "Pres- 
byterian Church of Madison," which name it still 
bears. 

In the year 1838, all access to the Cemetery 
having been cut off by the building of the railroad, 
the present road to it was opened from the turnpike, 
the land for this object having been obtained from 
Mr. Henry Keep. 

Some of the timbers taken from the Old Meeting 
House were used in the construction of the cupola. 



182 Bottle Hill and Madison 

and some of the seats which were taken from the 
ancient building were placed in the gallery of the 
new church. 

Upon the occasion of the alteration of the 
church in December, 1857, an historical memorial 
board was deposited under the platform in front of 
the pulpit, together with the old memorial board 
which had been placed there when the Church was 
built in 1825. 



CHAPTER XXXV 

THE GIBBONS MANSION 

In the early days of the last century, Thomas 
Gibbons, a wealthy planter of Savannah, acquired 
the ownership of the New York and Philadelphia 
stage route. Connection was made at Elizabethtown 
Point with steamboats to New York, and the large 
hotel and landing at the Point, together with the 
steamboats and stages comprising the line, were the 
property of Mr. Gibbons. Cornelius Vanderbilt, then 
a rising young man, became the captain, and soon 
after a part owner, of one of these steamboats, and 
his great career as a steamship owner had its virtual 
commencement in connection with Mr. Gibbons. On 
the death of Thomas Gibbons, his vast wealth, includ- 
ing his Georgia estates and the New Jersey and New 
York property, came into the possession of his son, 
William Gibbons. Among the possessions of the 
estate was the celebrated Heath House at Schooley's 
Mountain, then one of the most aristocratic summer 
resorts in the North, and Mr. Gibbons was in the 
habit of spending a part of his summer there. He 
usually drove from Elizabethtown, where he had a 
superb residence, as well as one in New York and 
another in Savannah. 

In the summer of 1832, Mr. Gibbons and his 
wife were in their coach on the way to Schooley's 
Mountain, and were driving through Bottle Hill, 
when, as they passed over the hill where the Drew 
Seminary lodge gates are now, Mrs. Gibbons ex- 
claimed, ''What a lovely view." Immediately the 
horses were stopped while Mr. Gibbons and his wife 



186 Bottle Hill and Madison 

enjoyed the charming expanse of the landscape 
spread out before them. They then proceeded to 
their destination, and on their return a few days 
later, again passed through Bottle Hill and again 
enjoyed the view from the top of the hill. As they 
passed through the village, Mr. Gibbons called on 
Abraham Brittin, whose residence was the house 
which is still standing opposite the James Build- 
ing. Mr. Brittin was a very prominent citizen of 
the place, and was identified with many of the large 
business interests of the state. Mr. Gibbons desired 
him to buy the pieces of property near the spot w^here 
the view had been enjoyed. Mr. Brittin at once went 
quietly to work, and soon had a number of the farms 
purchased in behalf of Mr. Gibbons, who was from 
that time on a constant purchaser of property in this 
vicinity, the record showing the large number of 
sixty-three deeds to him recorded between 1832 and 
1851. The circumstances as above related are from 
the lips of Mr. Brittin. 

Upon this splendid domain, which he appropri- 
ately named ''The Forest," Mr. Gibbons erected the 
stately mansion which stands yet, bearing the name 
of ''Mead Hall," the principal building of Drew Sem- 
inary. Simple and massive in its construction, it 
was at that time the most imposing of the buildings 
designed for private residences in this part of the 
state, having the palatial appearance of the grand 
homes of England and France. The rooms are 
spacious, and were furnished in the style and solidity 
of an Old World palace. The furniture, some of 
which still remains, attests the costliness and beauty 



The Gibbons Mansion 189 

which characterized the residence and its outfit. 

Mr. Gibbons died in 1852, and his son, William 
Heyward Gibbons, after some years of occupancy, 
sold the homestead property to Daniel Drew, the 
famous financier. Mr. Drew had himself amassed 
his wealth in the ownership and operation of steam- 
boats, and it was natural that he should know of 
the splendid estate of the Gibbons family in Madison. 
At all events, he acquired it and gave it to the Meth- 
odist Church of America, as a seat for a college for 
that denomination. The old manison is now put to 
a glorious use, and in its stately grandeur promises 
to remain, a monument of Bottle Hill, long after 
other old buildings have disappeared. 

The following anecdote was told by Mrs. Helen 
M. Brittin : 

''While the Gibbons mansion was being built, 
Baxter Sayre went in great distress to his mother, 
Mrs. Ephraim Sayre, and told her that it did not 
seem right for so much money to be going into brick 
and mortar. 

''Mrs. Sayre told her son not to feel so badly, 
for perhaps God might take the very brick and 
mortar and make use of it for Himself." 

Mrs. Eliza Cook was present and heard Mrs. 
Sayre say it and then she related the incident to 
Mrs. Brittin. This was many years before Drew 
Seminary was thought of. 

The monuments marking the tombs of Mr. Gib- 
bons and his wife, his son and his daughter, are con- 
spicuous landmarks on the summit of the historic 
cemetery. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

BOTTLE HILL CHANGED TO MADISON 

The name of Madison was not adopted by the 
village until 1834, when a public meeting was called 
with a result as is shown by the following notice cut 
from an old newspaper: 

''Agreeable to public notice, a meeting of the 
inhabitants of the village of Bottle Hill convened at 
the Madison Academy in said place on the 2nd of 
August, 1834, to take into consideration a change 
of name for said place, and after an interchange of 
sentiment it was resolved to adjourn for 4 weeks, 
to give further time for deliberation, and in pursu- 
ance of such, the inhabitants again convened at said 
Madison Academy on the 30th of August, 1834, when 
Matthias L. Burnet was chosen moderator and 
Robert Albright, secretary, and after an interchange 
of sentiment, a motion was made, seconded and past 
that the name of said village be changed. 

''A motion was made, seconded and passed that 
the name of said place be called 'Madison.' 

"Adjourned. 

"M. L. Burnet, Moderator. 
"Robert Albright, Secretary. 

"Madison, August 30, 1834." 



o O 
m E 

2 O 



s o 








RESIDENCE OP BENJ. BIRDSALL 
For many years the residence of James A. Webb. 



This house is on the site of the store kept by Mrs. Horton during 
tlie Revolution and later occupied by Mr. Richards. 

The older portion of this house belonged originally to Col. 
William Brittin before he built his home on the new turnpike. After- 
wards it was owned by Mr. Benjamin Birdsall, who raised it one 
story and a half; later it was the residence of Mr. Isaac Brittin and 
was inherited by his son, B. Ludlow Brittin. It then was purchased by 
Mr. James A. Webb, who lived there for many years and made still 
further alterations. 

This ancient building has been removed to Green Village Road 
and is now the home of Dr. C. P. Snyder. 



CHAPTER XXXVII 

A HERO OF THE BRIDGE OF LODI 

In the year 1835 there came to Madison a 
Frenchman named Claude Etiene Chauvey. He and 
his family settled at the little hamlet known as 
Hickory Tree, and occupied the house on the wester- 
ly corner of the roads leading to Loantaka and Green 
Village. Here he lived and tilled the small farm ad- 
joining until his death in 1858. 

Mr. Chauvey at the age of twenty-two was a 
soldier in the French Army of Italy, when Napoleon 
took command of it in 1796. Throughout that mem- 
orable campaign, beginning with the battle of Mon- 
tonette, and comprising at least a score of the most 
remarkable conflicts of history, he took an honorable 
part. Following his illustrious general, he crossed 
the Bridge of Lodi under the terrible fire of the 
Austrian guns. He joined in the seige of Mantua 
and went through the marvellous six days' campaign 
on the shores of Lake Garda, when in a series of 
brilliant actions the second Austrian army under 
Wurmser was beaten and destroyed. 

At the battle of Castiglione, the last fight of that 
rapid week, he was severely wounded through the 
breast and arm, and left for dead upon the field. 
Upon his recovery to consciousness, he found him- 
self in the hands of enemies, and was a prisoner of 
war for several years, until set free on the general 
exchange of prisoners after the battle of Marengo. 
He then returned to France and there married and 



A Hero of the Bridge of Lodi 195 

resided until he came to America. Mr. Chauvey had 
a happy faculty of description, and never grew weary 
of telling of the stirring scenes he had witnessed. 
His countrymen in this vicinity frequently came to 
see him and listened to his stories of the heroes of 
Mantua and Lodi. His descendants should prize the 
right he has left them of membership in the order 
of the ''Little Corporal." 

In St. Vincent's Cemetery, Madison, stands the 
monument of this brave man, bearing the following 
inscriptions of his name and that of his wife. 

Claude E. Choyey. 

Jan. 9, 177 J^. 

Dec. 5, 1858. 

Jeanne M. 

his wife, 

April 16, 1793. 

April 9, 1858. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 

THE ORIGIN OF THE RAILROAD 
THROUGH MADISON 

The following description of the construction 
of the railroad through Madison is taken from the 
unpublished history of the Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle: 

''It was during Mr. Arm's pastorate here, that 
the Morris and Essex railroad was constructed 
through this village. 

''The right of way along the southern border 
of the burying ground, and immediately in front 
of the site of the Old Meeting House, was granted 
to the company by the congregation in the month of 
January, 1836; and the road was completed, and 
cars were passed over it for the first time, as far 
as this place, in the month of October of the year 
following (1837). 

"The occasion of its completion was one of great 
interest to this Community; and its construction 
has proved, in every point of view, an incalculable 
benefit to this entire surrounding region. For some 
months after the road was opened, a small car, 
capable of holding about eighteen persons within, 
with seats for a dozen more persons on the top, was 
drawn over the road by horses, one of them being 
ahead of, another. Then the company put on the 
little engine 'Orange' w^hich was built by Mr. Seth 
Boyden of Newark and run by him on the first trip, 
and which is still used (1855) for drawing gravel 
trains. 



3 

!^5 







The Origin of the Railroad 199 

''This machine is not more than one-fourth as 
heavy and as powerful as those which are used at 
the present time ; and for a very considerable length 
of time, it did all the work of the road, drawing one 
passenger car and one baggage or freight car over 
the track twice a day ! .... The depot in this place 
at first was a plain, little structure at the fork of 
the road opposite the residence and store of George 
T. Sayre, from which place it was afterwards re- 
moved to the present location." (1855.) 

The site of this station, which was about where 
the James Library now stands, was also the terminus 
of the road, and a small turn-table platform was 
erected here for turning the engine. 

According to Francis M. Bruen, son of Ashbel 
Bruen, the railroad was put through the middle of 
his father's property at Union Hill, and a platform 
was constructed there, where all trains stopped 
when signaled. Very often Ashbel Bruen would earn 
a free ride on the train, by assisting the engineer 
in replacing the train on the track. 

The first rails on this road were strips, or straps 
of iron, nailed to timber, and the ends of these straps 
were apt to curl up under the summer heat, and 
were consequently called, ''snake-heads." A man 
used to ride on the cross-bar of the locomotive, with 
a keg of spikes and a maul, to hammer down the 
"snake-heads," and re-nail the iron straps to the 
wooden rail. While running the train, the engineer 
stood up in front of the engine, and it was no unusual 
occurrence for him to stop the train, in order to 
drive a cow off the track. 



200 



Bottle Hill and Madison 







l>f»lfc9V.il«K«! 



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mal of mow/ng train, fr^ia New "Xot'K 
9ela,w«r4'tWa.<.tr Gar on Tuesdays. 
' 5it«tf"0B alteri'.ite days to al 




' N\w York nj..;.., ., ! i^ tr^-ifej^jH AdS 

'It^MiaOi'Uiu Company coO^^ 

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l^onu Morn^town oa, atrivql «r*nM}mhij,' t> "i fromlNaw 
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aft<;rB*i)« train-? ti»i<«w 1ft is ; iOao Irom '6)i V. ^I. trrun from 
New \i^l»Babki"Brid«fel<uly-mi./w»iffi_"- oiaimti«;^»Ai.! 

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4 JiJ P, W>4M(t.dK\\y >iatwt*nguiiunit md *aMrtr«6rQcr. viz 
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SW^Ti^cietHej-eKoodonlyrfju'the day for wMcb tltey an 
Hold* ^nd d(h fr. hj shov.n and jlttUyerod to '?ie;C«md^ctor j 

fri)in*jne •.faiatoa6i-5hgr. ^;r„i.it»«> 

Pft*«eB«*«Rtt!PaTtic«larty requcsteU to purcliH-«M irKti? a^ 

the oflioesUirfftretftetrjiliiS leave, aiul thus v-'i..^ i <; r'.iv<|>ii;'; 



Satin Jays— ?*«!t77iJfti/ *"■ 



Old time table used in Madison in 1855, taken from Rev. S. 
Tuttle's Manuscript History. 



The Origin of the Railroad 201 

The following incident is related by William 
H. Byram, who has been a resident of Madison for 
a great many years : "In the year 1844, my mother, 
with my sister and myself, started for Newark by 
train. At Chatham the engine broke down, and we 
were taken to Summit by two pairs of oxen; from 
there we ran by gravity to Milburn, where two pairs 
of mules took us to Newark." 

Again quoting from Rev. Mr. Tuttle: "When 
the railroad was first brought here, there was no 
road parallel with it, between the Birdsall corner 
and the turnpike, near the present site of the Epis- 
copal Church, but persons wishing to pass between 
these two points, were obliged to cross the railroad 
twice. Under the influence of Benjamin Birdsall, 
the present avenue there was opened, being taken 
by the authorities of the township, from the property 
of the late Benjamin Cook, somewhere about the 
year 1851." 

"At this period, the principal passenger trains 
number from four to six passenger cars, and one 
baggage car daily ; and the freight trains often have 
as many as twenty cars." 

In the year 1860 or 1861, the Rev. S. L. Tuttle 
and Mr. Frank Lathrop suggested making improve- 
ments about the depot. 

Mr. Tuttle writes: "The area about the depot 
being too small to be convenient, it was resolved to 
enlarge it. The Town Hall, the Methodist Episcopal 
Church and one or two private houses stood in the 
way of the enlargement. The M. & E. R. R. Com- 
pany agreed to be at one-half of the expense of the 



202 Bottle Hill and Madison 

change, if the citizens would pay the balance. A 
meeting was called by Mr. F. S. Lathrop, Mr. A. M. 
Treadwell and others in the Town Hall. The writer 
was invited to deliver an address setting forth the 
importance of the improvement ; a subscription was 
started and the work at once went forward. The 
additional ground was purchased, the buildings 
moved back, the soil in the street was removed, and 
the street was filled up to the depth of a foot with 
small stones, and a very heavy covering of gravel 
was placed on the stones. Also a liberty pole was 
erected. 

'The R. R. Company then constructed a new 
passenger depot and a new freight depot ; and in this 
way the village was very greatly improved. 

'The cost of the change was about $12,000; 
one-half of this being raised among our citizens and 
the other half being paid by the R. R. Company, who 
also provided for the expense of erecting the depot." 

Mr. Thomas V. Johnson has kindly allowed a 
copy of an interesting old commutation ticket to be 
used in this book. It is dated October 1, 1859, and 
expired January 1, 1860. 




CO 

To he tised hy 
between NEW AR 



^kt/l^i.'t^t..~^renA'r. 




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CHAPTER XXXIX 

ST. VINCENT'S CHURCH 

In 1838 St. Vincent's Roman Catholic Church 
of this place was erected, largely through the influ- 
ence and efforts of Mr. Vincent Boisaubin. His 
daughter-in-law, Mrs. Amidee Boisaubin, was very 
active in the movement. Previously, for many years, 
Mr. Boisaubin and his family occupied seats in the 
Presbyterian Church, and were frequent worship- 
pers there, that church then being the only one in 
the vicinity. The new Catholic Church soon became 
crowded, many of the attendants coming from a dis- 
tance. The bell is said to have been taken from a 
church or convent in Spain which, with many others, 
was seized by the French army under Napoleon dur- 
ing the invasion of 1808, and sent to this country. 
During many years it was rung three times every 
day, and its sound therefore is one of the most 
familiar recollections of this place in the memories 
of old inhabitants. 

The picture was taken from the map by Thomas 
Hughes, 1857, and represents the old church as it 
appeared at that time. 



CHAPTER XL 

OLD SCHOOL BOYS OF BOTTLE HILL 

About the year 1840 an association was formed 
called the "Old School Boys of Bottle Hill," consist- 
ing of eighteen of the men then living who had at- 
tended the old Academy when they were boys. 

Among the members were Chas. C. Force, the 
oldest member, also Chairman and President; Dr. 
L. A. Sayre, of New York; Pierson A. Freeman, 
Sheriff of Morris County; B. Warren Burnet, Nel- 
son Sampson, Frank Freeman and Jackson Brittin. 

The duties of this Association were to assemble 
once a year, on the anniversary of the birthday of 
one of the members, and at his home, to have a good 
dinner and to tell of the good old times when they 
were boys. 





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CHAPTER XLI 

MADISON IRON WORKS 

This business was formed by Charles C. Force 
in 1842. 

Mr. Force was regularly apprenticed to John B. 
Miller when he was sixteen years of age ; he served 
his time (five years) and continued in the employ of 
Mr. Miller for three years longer. 

While he was working at the old Miller Shop, 
on the completion in Madison of the Morris and 
Essex Railroad, he started to work at one o'clock 
A. M. to make up for the half day off to take a free 
ride on the first trip to and from Newark — a great 
event to go and return from Newark in half a day. 

Tradition says that Washington's horse was 
shod in the old Miller shop. 

The main entrance gates to the old Gibbon's 
Mansion, have been and are still regarded as models 
in their line for beauty of design and workmanship. 
They were designed by D. S. Miller, son of John B., 
and made in the old Miller shop while Mr. Force was 
there, — also some fine work in the line of compound 
Screw Cotton Presses, invented by D. L. Miller, and 
on exhibition in the Crystal Palace in New York at 
the time the Palace was destroyed by fire. 

At the end of the extra service of three years in 
the employ of Mr. Miller, Mr. Force rented an old 
blacksmith shop on the Sayre farm, located just in 
the rear of the old Academy lot, on what is now 
Ridgedale Avenue. 



214 Bottle Hill and Madison 



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OLD INDENTURE OF CHAS. C. FORCE 



Madison Iron Works 215 

While here he bought a lot from the Blanchard 
farm and built the house where he lived and died. 

This house, built in 1843, was the second house 
built on that part of the street now called Park 
Avenue, then just a crooked, country road separating 
the Blanchard and Sayre properties, which at that 
time consisted of farming land with post and rail 
fences on both sides of the road. 

About this time the old shop on Ridgedale 
Avenue was burned. Mr. Force then bought addi- 
tional land next to his home and built a small shop 
18 X 24 feet, on the site of the present works, where 
he did an ordinary but successful country black- 
smithing business, his help consisting of one appren- 
tice. 

At first the forge fire was blown by the old- 
fashioned hand bellows, which was followed first by 
a windmill to furnish power and then by horsepower. 

This was the origin of the Madison Iron Works, 
which has now installed the finest machinery, and is 
now receiving contracts for wrought iron work all 
over the country. 



CHAPTER XLII 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN MADISON 

Mrs. James A. Webb has given the following 
information with reference to several private schools 
which she attended when a child. 

About the year 1843, Mrs. Sewall, the wife of 
Rev. Robert Sewall, started a small school in Madi- 
son, in a building back of Mr. Henry Keep's house. 
Mrs. Sewall was an English woman and organized 
the school for the purpose of teaching her two little 
daughters, Hebe Sewall and Mary Sewall. 

Among the other little girls who attended this 
school were Margaretta Baker (now Mrs. Webb) ; 
and Camilla Keep and Caroline Keep, the adopted 
children of Mr. Henry Keep. 

Two or three years later, another private school 
was started under the direction of Miss Mary Ford, 
daughter of John Ford of Parsippany. 

The location of this school was in the upper part 
of an old building on Main Street, a little to the 
north of the present site of the First National Bank, 
and nearly in the center of Central Avenue, which 
of course, was not then in existence. 

The teacher who succeeded Miss Ford was Miss 
Mary E. Dill, who came to the school about the year 
1847 and who afterwards married Mr. Samuel Den- 
man Burnet. 

Miss Dill was induced to come to Madison as 
teacher of this select school through the efforts of 
Dr. H. P. Green, although by so doing she gave up 



Private Schools in Madison 219 

the completion of a post graduate course in New 
Haven. 

Dr. Green was greatly interested in securing a 
splendid teacher for the school, because of the fact 
that his little daughter, Augusta, was one of the 
pupils. Little Magaretta Baker also attended this 
school and some of the other pupils were Camilla 
Keep, Caroline Keep, Margaret A. Miller, Mary 
Johnson and Mary Condict, a niece of Capt. Mallaby. 

In the interim between these two schools, Mrs. 
Webb says that she went for a very short period to 
a school kept by a Miss Meriman, near the Academy. 

The little Keep girls also went there, and two 
other little pupils were Sarah Burroughs and Eliza 
Crowell. 

One morning while the school was in session 
the old Academy bell gave the alarm of fire and all 
the little pupils rushed out of the school and seated 
themselves on a fence and watched with keen interest 
while the fire which had started in the home of Mr. 
Archibald Sayre on Ridgedale Avenue, was extin- 
guished. 

The children enjoyed watching the removal 
from the burning house of different articles of furn- 
iture, including an old ^'grand-father clock," which 
was deposited in an empty field across the w^ay. 

About the year 1850, Mrs. Webb attended a 
very fine jorivate school under the superivision of 
two French women, Madame Kohly and her daugh- 
ter. Harriet Ross was also one of the pupils. 

The school was held in the home of Miss Lyllis 
Cook on Ridgedale Avenue and two rooms in the 



220 Bottle Hill and Madison 

wing of the house were used for this purpose. 

About this time, Madame Chegary was in charge 
of a fashionable boarding school for young ladies, 
which was situated on the road to Monroe. 

Mrs. Webb remembers the fact that an old black 
omnibus frequently used to take the young ladies 
back and forth to the railroad station. 

Madame Chegary sold the property to the 
Roman Catholics, who founded St. Elizabeth's con- 
vent. 



CHAPTER XLIII 

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

*'The year 1844 is worthy of a place in this his- 
torical sketch as the year when the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church in this village was erected, and conse- 
crated to the worship of God. Persons of this per- 
suasion had for a few years previously kept up occa- 
sional religious services in the upper room of the 
Academy at East Madison, or, as it was formerly 
called, ''Genung Town." Subsequently, they met in 
a large room connected with the Umbrella Manu- 
factory of Mr. Henry Keep in this village until the 
year above mentioned, when they erected the neat 
and commodious edifice in which they now statedly 
worship in the vicinity of the railroad depot. 

"The congregation at that time belonged to the 
same circuit as those of Whippany, Chatham and 
Green Village, and the ministers in charge were the 
Rev. Messrs. Lewis R. Dunn and Israel S. Corbit. 
The congregation is at the present time associated 
with the church in Whippany alone, and the Rev. 
Joseph Gaskill is the minister in charge." — From 
manuscript of Rev. S. L. Tuttle, 1855. 

The site of the old Methodist Church above 
referred to was on Waverly Place, and, having been 
moved back, the building became the plumbing 
establishment of the late E. L. Cook, which is now 
occupied by MacDougall and Denman. 

It has been impossible to find a picture of this 
original Methodist Church. 



CHAPTER XLIV 

THE LECTURE ROOM 

For a great many years the evening meetings 
in the village were held in the upper room of the 
Academy. 

This was a verj^ inconvenient and uncomfort- 
able place for divine worship, and as a consequence 
the project of erecting a Lecture Room for this pur- 
pose was one of the subjects of conversation and dis- 




cussion both in public and in private. The two per- 
sons who were most prominent in agitating this 
matter were Mr. Benjamin Birdsall, and the Rev. 
Mr. Arms, pastor of the Presbyterian Church. 

At length in the autumn of 1849 a lot was pur- 
chased of Mrs. Mahlon Pierson, on the point formerly 
occupied by the store of Mr. Obadiah Crane, and 
measures were at once adopted to erect the new 
edifice. 



The Lecture Room 225 

The Lecture Room was built during the year 
1850; and on Sunday afternoon, February 9, 1851, 
it was dedicated by Rev. Mr. Arms, who was assisted 
by Rev. Charles H. Force and Rev. Joseph M. Ogden. 

It was used for the Tuesday Evening Prayer 
Meeting and the Thursday Evening Weekly Lecture 
by the pastor. 

The Sunday School was often held in this build- 
ing, and also a day school. 

The Presbyterian Church continued to use this 
Lecture Room until 1889, when the Webb Memorial 
Chapel was completed. 

Afterwards it became the Borough OfRce, and 
was taken down in 1898 when James Park was 
opened. 



CHAPTER XLV 

'^MADISON IN 1854" 

The following facts are quoted from Rev. S. L. 
Tuttle's history: 

''The village of Madison now contains about one 
hundred and twenty dwelling houses, six stores, one 
large umbrella manufactory, one bakery, one candy 
manufactory, one tin stove establishment, one cabinet 
warehouse, two harness manufactories, three black- 
smith shops, three wheelwright shops, two cider 
mills, one distillery, two tailoring establishments, 
one millinery, three or four shoe shops, two or three 
carpenter shops, a post-ofRce, a Presbyterian Church 
and Lecture Room, a Methodist Episcopal Church, 
a Roman Catholic Church, an Academy, a hotel, 
called the 'Waverly House,' a railroad depot, and a 
large and very commodious village hall called the 
'Oriental Hall," which has recently been erected by 
members of the 'Odd Fellows Association,' who 
occupy the second story for their own meetings, and 
let out the first story for public lectures, etc. 

"The stores in the village are kept by Robert 
Albright & Son, Geo. T. Sayre, I. M. Townley, C. C. 
Schenck, Charles Ross, and Wm. H. Sayre, who also 
keeps the Post Office. 

"The proprietor of the umbrella manufactory 
is Mr. Henry Keep, who employs about sixty hands in 
this place and about as many more in New York City. 

"The bakery and candy manufactory are 
owned by C. C. Schenck, who sends out several 



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Madison in 1854 



229 



wagons in different parts of the country, with bread, 
cakes, crackers and candies. 

''The tin and stove establishment is owned by 
Mr. Charles M. Bruen. 

"The cabinet manufactory is owned by Deacon 
C. C. Burroughs and his son Edwin, who are like- 




RESIDEXCE AND STORE AND UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT 
OF E. P. BURROUGHS 

wise the undertakers for this section of the country. 
The harness manufactories are owned by Mr. 
Charles Ross and Mr. Bardon. The blacksmith 
shops are owned by Mr. Charles C. Force; Mr. 
David C. Miller and Mr. Genung; and the wheel- 
wright shops by Mr. Moses Force, Mr. Hedges and 
Mr. Baldwin. The cider mills are owned by Mr. 
John B. Miller and Mr. Springer, which last owns 
also the distillery. The tailoring establishments 



230 Bottle Hill and Madison 

are owned by John Armstrong and Mr. Job Squier. 
The millinery is owned by Mrs. Robinson, daughter 
of Dr. Geo. Cole. The principal boot and shoe man- 
ufactory is owned by Mr. Stephen Ward. The Post 
Office is kept by William H. Sayre; the Railroad 
Depot by Mr. Burt; the hotel by Col. Stephen D. 
Hunting; the Academy by Mr. Packard. 

''There are two physicians in the village, to wit, 
Dr. Henry P. Green and Dr. George Cole, who at one 
time were in partnership, but are now practicing 
separately. 

'The ministers now located here are the Rev. 
Joseph Gaskill of the M. E. Church; the Rev. John 
A. Jerome of the P. E. Church; the Rev. Michael 
Madden and Rev. Patrick McGorson of the Roman 
Catholic Church; and the writer, of the Presby- 
terian Church. 

"During the summer months Madison has be- 
come a great place of resort for boarders from the 
cities of Newark and New York ; and then our sanc- 
tuaries are usually crowded with worshippers. 

''There are probably as many as fifty persons 
leaving our village depot daily during the winter 
months and a vast amount of freight; while in the 
summer, there are over a hundred persons daily 
leaving here in the cars. Several persons pass over 
the road to and from New York every day in the 
year, excepting the Sabbaths, among whom are 
Henry Keep, Mr. Thebaud, F. A. Lathrop, Mr. Dean 
and others. 

"For about a year past the attention of gentle- 
men from New York City has been turned to this 



Madison in 1854 233 

village as a place of residence, and already quite a 
number of such persons have located themselves here. 
Among these may be mentioned the names of Messrs. 
William and James Bryce, of Mr. Turpenn^^, of Mr. 
John Johnston, of Mr. Lockwood, of Mr. Potter, of 
Mr. Seaman and others. But a few years will pass 
before the village will become one of the largest and 
most attractive villages in North America. These 
beautiful slopes all around us will at no distant day 
be occupied by the most elegant residences ; and large 
numbers, doing business in the city, will have their 
habitations here. The author is perfectly sure that 
there is no place within forty miles of New York 
where the scenery, the roads, the climate, etc., are 
better than they are here, and as soon as the citizens 
of New York come to understand it, this must be- 
come very thickly populated by the best citizens from 
New York and elsewhere." 



CHAPTER XLVI 

GRACE CHURCH 

The Episcopal Church of Madison was organ- 
ized in the autumn of 1854. Rev. John A. Jerome 
was called to be the rector, and immediate steps were 
taken for the erection of a church edifice. The hall 
belonging to the Odd Fellows Association on Waverly 
Place was used for worship for a little over a year. 
Early in the spring of 1855, the site of the church 
was purchased of Mr. Augustus Blanchet, who 
resided in the house elsewhere described as the Win- 
deyer House. The corner stone was laid on the 7th 
day of June, 1855. The building, which is of stone, 
was enclosed by the last of September and soon after 
opened for worship. 

The picture is from Hughes map, and repre- 
sents the church as it appeared in 1857. 



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CHAPTER XLVII 

ORIGIN OF A. M. E. CHURCH 

In 1853 a church for the colored people of Madi- 
son was started at Cherry Hill, which is the old name 
for Fairwoods, Madison. 

This organization began under the name of the 
Union Church; and in 1859 Judge Frank Lathrop 
bought a lot on Kings Road and presented it to the 
Church. He also paid for the removal of the build- 
ing to the new site. 

Mrs. Frisby Green took charge of the church 
affairs, and several years later it passed into the 
hands of the A. M. E. denomination. 

Mr. John M. Nixon, of New York, who had a 
Summer home in Madison, organized the first colored 
Sundav School in the Old Lecture Room. 



CHAPTER XLVIII 

THE PARSONAGE 

In the month of April, 1854, the congregation 
of the Presbyterian Church purchased a parsonage 
and fitted it up for their minister. 

The property which stands on the corner south- 
west of the Academy and was formerly occupied 
as a boarding school by Mr. Franklin Sherrill, was 
bought of Abraham Brittin, Esq. 

From the time that the old parsonage was sold 
in 1810, until the purchase of the new parsonage 
on the corner of Park and Ridgedale Avenues, in 
1854, the parish was destitute of a home for the 
accommodation of their ministers — a period of about 
forty-four years. 



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THE TREE IN PROSPECT STREET 



CHAPTER XLIX 

THE SAMUEL L. TUTTLE TREE 

In the summer of 1858, Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle 
was opening Prospect Street through his property 
to join that of Mr. Henry Keep, who continued the 
opening to the railroad at King's Road. One morn- 
ing as he came upon the ground, the workmen were 
preparing to cut down a large oak tree which stood 
nearly in the centre of the way. He checked them, 
saying that it was too splendid a tree to destroy, 
"But, Mr. Tuttle, you see it is right in the way," 
said the foreman. "Never mind if it is, — don't touch 
it," was the reply; and the tree is still standing in 
1916. 



[THE END.] 



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